contents

cover STORY 50
1.71 lakh jobs in government
and public sector
+ Sectoral analysis of 14 major recruitment areas

Education Health Agriculture Engineering Support Staff Science & Technology

Banking Security Specialists Finance & Accounts Service Engineering Administration

From messengers to managers, from office assistants to

managing directors, positions are available for all those
eligible and for every conceivable qualification
Others Office Support

careers and
66 courses
first person Animation Industry 18
D.Purandeswari From Mickey Mouse to Stuart Little, animation characters
are legendary. Read on to learn how to become an expert,
creating tomorrow’s Tom & Jerry

Psychology  44
Though it won’t make you a mind reader, the
discipline offers diverse career opportunities. A thorough
review of the area and critical skill sets required to emerge
as a good professional and more

Nanotechnology 74
“Encouraging research is important for us. We are The cutting edge research area is pregnant with
spending about 0.3% of our GDP on research while possibilities. An overview of the area, best colleges
developed countries spend between 2-3%” and specialisations on offer

2 careers 360 september 2009

 careers360
September 2009 l Volume I l Issue 6

Publisher
Maheshwer Peri

CEO SPEAK Editor

B Mahesh Sarma
Chanda Kochhar
Shekhar Gupta Special Correspondents
Urmila Rao
“ICICI has over Sumita Vaid Dixit
many years “Right now the Shalini Gupta

been success- media covers Design

ful in not losing only on politics Art Director
Anshul Sharma
the people we of education & Sr Visualiser
want to retain” policies” Rajesh Chawla
Jr Visualiser
Thomas Mampilly
16 42
Research
Dr. Nimesh Chandra
Bharti M Borah
advisory regulars Priya Naik
Shiphony Pavithran

Multitask and save your job 12 Letters 4 Business Office

As firms get obsessed with costs, it AB-12, 1st Floor, S.J. Enclave,
is your ability to do whatever is essential In the News 6 New Delhi — 110 029
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and grow Motivation 14 North
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Acres of diamonds
Cracking Bank PO 24 West
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Probationary officer is a gateway Teachers’ Talk  69 Bangalore
to a great banking career. Here is Regulation but not control advt.blr@pathfinder360.co.in
how to get it right Chennai
Book Review 77 advt.chn@pathfinder360.co.in

Cracking US Admissions  32 Assessing your career Hyderabad

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CAT Coaching 26
Is coaching the only way to enter the
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More than 30 pages of current
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Four IIM graduates find that helping people Global Warming 94

and solved papers ....

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Letters
extra 24 pAGe CompetItIoN360 - exAm speCIAl
As per Government of Tamil careers 360 KApIl sIbAl
Minister, hrD
by those people who think
Nadu order, since Annamalai there is no career in the field
August 2009 Rs 40

University is recognized by of fashion designing.

eXcLusive
a careers360 - GfK mode
First ever cAreer
‘sAtisFAction’ survey

the UGC the degrees award- They Monica Krishna on web

ed by it are automatically rec- ruined
my
Competition360
ognized by the Government. Good job by careers360
Now my understanding is career is an apt team. I am a graduate of
addition
exeCutIve eduCAtIoN Bitter stories of how a few

that UGC has disqualified Unani system in medicine.

50 bEsT ManagEMEnT institutions used an indifferent
DEvElOpMEnT prOgraMMEs system to play with students’ lives

CRACKING
the PG Law offered under ‘Civils’ Mains ExaM INvestIGAtIoN
The college I studied got
n
n nDa ExaMinaTiOn iCFai- avOiD Till ThEy COME ClEan

Open University system. permission as Unani medi-

CAReeR RevIeW AdvIsoRy
n law sTuDying in ausTralia: priMEr
n b.pharM hOw TO gET a uK visa

The Supreme Court should up close

viswanathan
anand
campus review
symbiosis
university
scholarships
daad
fellowships
teachers’ talk
prof. bala
balachandran
cine college and is affiliated
first analyse the side effects to CCIM(Central Council
Also Jadavpur university n coping with failure n amateur astronomy

and give a remedy to the stu- of Indian Medicine) and not

Aug cover-F.indd 1 7/27/09 5:03:38 PM

dents who have completed
the PG under Open Univer-
sity. Will the Chief Justice
and Education Department
come forward?
Ramachandran on web
I am a B.Tech Graduate
interested in making a career
in sports administration and
management. The article on
sports management in the
August issue had definite-
ly made an impact on me.
With cricket dominating the
Indian market and the rise
of many IPL teams, will an
MBA in sports management
offer me a good career in the
cricket industry?
Mathew Kurian on web
In the article ‘Cracking Civil
Services Mains,’ I found
the author exaggerating the
weight of the examination
- `like doing three PhDs at
the same time...” Please go
through the papers and com-
pare them with the 12th Class
NCERT books - be it Pre-
We are grateful for the newly introduced supplement MCI. Their curriculum is of
called Competition 360, an absolute helping hand for Unani system of medicine
those preparing for competitive exams. I would like to but their pass out students
give some suggestions to the editorial board of this are forced to work in small
supplement.It should have a separate page highlighting nursing homes as assistants
the examinations to be held in the coming month. It can to consultant doctors on
also have a separate section on how to handle a partic- not-so-good salaries. I am
ular exam within the supplement, so that the students also a victim of this insti-
get a ready-made picture. You could also think of tute. What they promise is
giving a calendar of important examinations that are a medical degree but as per
1961 Medical Council Act
held every year. The write-ups are good, but reduce
only MBBS degree holders
their length and increase the number.
are medical doctors. In 1996
Sakshi, Bogal the Supreme Court passed
a judgment in a similar case
and stopped all graduates of
improvement techniques Prakash Iyer’s is a nice arti- alternative medicine from
really rock. Offering you my cle. It teaches us to always using allopathic medicine
whole hearted compliment. fight for your belief and not in their practice. But these
Sumanth on web give up on your life. institutes are hiding these
Niraj on web facts from their students and
These so-called B-schools continue to charge money
should not be considered The article on fashion is a from parents as donation at
as educational institutions, nice article to encourage the time of admission.
rather they are enterprises those who are discouraged Zainul Abideen on web
or business houses. The real-
ity is that managers are not
made or created by giving
them merely a degree. To
become a successful man-
ON SATISFACTION SURVEY
ager you need to have vast injury, they are overloaded
“My li fe’s ruined”
Cover Story

lims or the Mains. You will experience in the industry with work. They are not
Cover Story

find the standards matching. and must have successfully respected even by children
When students take admissions thinking they are now
starting a new life little do many of them know that there’s
only despair along the way

To be fair, we must say that faced all sorts of odds in the N now-a-days. Our colleges
by Sumita Vaid Dixit

eeta Ahuja breaks “When you come from a small city you
down just as she set- look for assurances. And my father was
tles in the sofa chair. concerned about safety.” Now when she
“I am tired.” She folds looks back there’s only bitterness in her
her hands and looks words. “They actually fooled my father with
up at the ceiling of her their glib talk.”

BA (Hon) is the level. To say
business cycle. To be a suc-
rented accommodation, “I just want to be
able to clear my exams and end the years of
misery.” Neeta is a final year management
student in a Delhi institute. She had come
from Kanpur with big dreams. Bit by bit the
sweetness of her dreams turned sour. She
had never imagined her life would change
in this manner when two years back she had
excitedly torn open an envelope to find an
are run on capitation fees
The course fee was Rs. 2 lakhs which Nee-
ta’s father paid by taking an education loan
from Allahabad Bank. “My father’s a gov-
ernment employee,” she adds to explain her
father’s financial position. This fee amount
was to be disbursed in equal amounts of Rs.
25,000 every quarter for two years.
Though disillusionment had set in within
six months of her admission, what caused

it is equal to three PhDs is
cessful manager one doesn’t
admission offer letter in it.
Having lived in Kanpur she had little idea
of Delhi and “I had no reason to disbelieve
anybody,” she says. When she first saw the
institute’s building she was disappointed.
“It looked like a house with a library and
some rooms in it.” There were doubts about
the institute’s reputation but the manage-
ment assured her father that he didn’t have
and employ lecturers with-
her more despair was the harassment by the
management over the college fees. Some
months back the institute told her that she
had not paid up her full fee and asked her
for the fee record. Since the fee install-
ments were coming straight from the bank
she told the management that they should
have the record.
When her father hurriedly came from

nothing but magnifying the require any degree or diplo- out hands-on experience.
to worry about his daughter’s safety; she Kanpur to clarify the matter the institute
was now the institute’s responsibility. said the fee had gone up from Rs. 2 lakhs

role of the coaching centres. ma but just experience and How can they teach? No
“Institutes take advantage of our gullibility

360 360

Veeru on web skills to understand the limi- importance is given to

I have been reading Prakash
Iyer’s articles from back-
issues. I must say these arti-
cles change the mindset we
have towards life. These self-
tations and the capabilities Indian children are knowl- research in core engineer-
and work towards his one edgeable but that comes very ing/science and not much
and only goal, that is, the late compared to the first institute-industry collabora-
consistent growth of his impression which is pathet- tion is going on. How can the
organization. ic. Our teachers are paid system be good?
Gautam Sharma on web pathetically. To add insult to Merryl Steep on web

4 careers 360 September 2009

careers NEWS CAMPUS NEWS NEW COURSES EVENTS

Delhi Technological University

IIM, Indore announces
management
programme for
into water management managers
Indian Institute of Management,
Indore announced a 12-week
intensive programme on
management, especially for
middle level managers, officers
and entrepreneurs. It would give
an overview of the latest concepts
and theories in management. The
programme would be conducted
from October 26, 2009 to
January 16, 2010.
For details of the programme visit
www.iimidr.ac.in

IIFT - Executive Post

Graduate Diploma in
International Business
Applications are invited from
working executives for admission to
EPGDIB (Executive Post Graduate
Diploma in International Business)
2009-10. The course is meant for
graduates/PG with 5 or 3 years
of work experience respectively.
Duration of the course is trimesters

W
spread over 12 months. There will
ater purification, water management and water recycling are set to be overhauled
be campus interaction of 3-6 days
by the Water Resource Management Centre set up at Delhi Technological Uni- in the beginning of each trimester.
versity (DTU). DTU vice-chancellor P B Sharma stated that the centre will offer The programme is available in 91
postgraduate and research programmes in water resource technology and management. cities through HughesNet Global
The centre will work in collaboration with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Education centres.
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) along with tie ups with department of civil engineer- For further details www.hnge.in
ing at DTU, focusing broadly on low-cost water re-cycling, re-use and water treatment
technologies, promoting awareness among the masses to conserve water, and research on
water resource management and issues related to water security. Sharma stated that the
Notifications
centre would operate in collaboration with major universities and institutes in India and Notifications
abroad, “The focus is on the impact of climate change on depletion of water resources.”
NIFT - Part-time Programmes
in Design Management and
Technology
Rural jobs website by International faculty at PT-PGPM part-time at MDI
monster.com and ITC Sharda University Tata Institute of Fundamental
Research - PhD/MSc
Monster.com and ITC Ltd will together Noida-based Sharda University claims
launch a website aimed at addressing the to have brought sixteen residential inter- MSME-Programme in Chemical
Analysis
rural job market called rozgarduniya.com. national faculty on board from Greece,
Tata Institute of Fundamental
Rural job seekers would gain access thor- UK, USA and France to teach and lead
Research - PhD/MSc
ough e-choupal, internet-enabled rural research projects. PK Gupta, Chancel-
National Productivity Council -
initiative that has been introduced by ITC. lor, Sharda University, stated, “Students
PG Certificate Programmes
Hindi and English will the languages avail- can have access to a pool of experts from
Board of Research in Nuclear
able at the moment. Other languages will across the world who will bring them new
Sciences - Dr KS Krishnan
be introduced later. Sanjay Modi, Manag- and fun ways of learning through a hybrid Research Fellowships
ing Director of monster.com hopes, “Rural system of western education.” The univer-
India has a huge untapped talent pool and sity will operate on a credit-based educa- only on
rozgarduniya.com will provide a platform tion system, with flexibility in opting from www.careers360.com
to bridge the demand and supply gap.” 30-odd subjects across disciplines.

6 careers 360 september 2009

 careers NEWS CAMPUS NEWS NEW COURSES EVENTS

Warwick offers blended learning IGNOU Programme on

Sustainability Sciences

W
arwick Business
School is set to
offer a blended learning
process in its Master’s in
Management programme
from April 2010. Already
offering a one-year pre-
experience Master’s
degree for students want-
ing to learn business
before entering the job
market, the new degree
would be an option for
graduates who are unable
to get a job after complet-
ing their studies. Stu-
dents with degrees from
non-business disciplines
ranging from philoso-
phy to physics can opt for the course. The
programme would be available to people
around the world as no residential modules
Blunder-free CV required
TeamLease Services, India’s largest staff-
ing company conducted a study of ‘CV
Blunders.’ More than 500 résumés were
evaluated at different levels, job profiles
and industries spanning the month of July
2009. Results showed that 90% of CV’s
had some kind of error such as gram-
matical, spelling or typo. Surabhi Mathur,
General Manager, Permanent Staffing,
TeamLease Services stated, “Candidates
today are trying to make their résumés dif-
ferent and impressive, so that they stand
out. In the process, they end up mak-
ing major blunders. It is often funny, but
the situation is sad.” Candidates need to
realize that CV’s are there to make a good
first impression.
are required. The cost of the programme
is a minimum of £4,500 a year, for details
visit www.wbs.ac.uk.
Earn while you learn for
ITI students
Delhi Cabinet has approved the scheme
“Earn while you learn” where Industrial
Training Institute (ITI) students would
help maintain government buildings.
Chief minister Sheila Dikshit is hopeful
that the student involvement will pro-
vide effective and timely maintenance.
Under the collaboration of Delhi Knowl-
edge Development Foundation and Delhi
Skills Mission, quality and cost effective-
ness will be ensured. Students from ITI
Dheerpur, Arab Ki Sarai, Mayur Vihar,
Jail Road and Pusa would participate,
undertaking civil works such as carpentry,
plumbing, painting, welding, steel fabrica-
tion and electrical works.
Admission is on for the Appreciation
Programme on Sustainability
Science for October 2009 session.
The programme is of one month
duration and will be conducted
online. The objective of the
programme is to provide theoretical
foundations and practical
strategies.
Last date for submission of
application is 20-09-2009.
ISRO Openings
Indian Space Research Organisation
invites applications for a range of
positions at Scientists/ Engineers/
Research fellow levels. Applications
will be received only online. For
details and application format visit
www.isac.gov.in. Online registration
is open on the above wesite till
07.09.2009
Post Doctoral
Fellowship Courses
at CMC,Vellore
CMC invites applications for the
Post Doctoral Fellowship Courses
2009 Maxillofacila surgery. Only
MDS in oral and maxillofacial
surgery from an Indian university
recognized by the DCI can apply.
Last date is 15-09-2009
Job Alerts
Job Alerts
Indian Air Force - Permanent/SSC
officers in technical branches
Copy Editors/Proof Readers -
Archaeological Survey of India
300 Medical and paramedical jobs
in Army Medical Corps
Indian Army - SSC Course for
Women Law Graduates

ESI Corporation to set up affordable medical colleges Combined Administrative Services

Examination - CSIR
The Indian Navy is recruiting
ESI Corporation has proposed to change the fee structure in the 10 medical colleges it is engineers
planning. Undergraduate medical students would be charged Rs. 24,000 per year. A bond
National Academy of Agricultural
of five years would have to be signed by the graduates, an exchange for the inexpensive fees Research Management - Research
offered. The entire cost would be recovered from those who leave during the bond period. Fellowship
With 130 affordable government colleges available and 136 private colleges that charge
hefty fees, many students would be able to fulfil their desire to get an MBBS degree from only on
these colleges. ESI has hospitals in all states and plans to have functional super speciality www.careers360.com
treatment available in all the colleges, making jobs and treatment accessible to many.

7 careers 360 september 2009

careers NEWS CAMPUS NEWS NEW COURSES
Edexcel eyes education system
T here is a growing concern, among coun-
tries, including India that the education
system is failing to develop an adequately
skilled workforce to meet the demands of
the workplace. A research done by Edexcel
and Pearson Education in 25 countries
states that there is a remarkable mismatch
between what is being taught in schools and
colleges and what the skills businesses are
looking for in new recruits. The study titled
‘Effective Education for Employment’ with
a particular focus on India states that the
low profile of professional education in
India has led to a dearth of certified talent
for Indian employers. Despite ‘promising
initiatives like the National Skills Develop-
ment Mission (NSDM), challenges shape
up in the sheer magnitude of task,’ high-
lights the report. Says Claire Stuart, Inter-
national Marketing Manager, Edexcel,
“There is a complete disconnect between
education and business.” The report also
underlines other issues that need redressal
like lack of soft-skills, creativity to supple-
ment cognitive skills and development of
adaptive abilities. “Employers are now
looking for rounded individuals and not
GMAT test takers are on the
upswing outside US
GMAC, originator of the GMAT test in
their recent research have indicated a rise
in popularity of the test in students residing
outside the US. Dave Wilson, president of
GMAC stated that China, Germany, Swit-
zerland and the UK have seen the highest
growth. India on the other hand found a
28% drop while South Korea dropped by
30%. Wilson believes currency fluctuation
is the main reason behind the drop. For
more details refer to www.gmac.com.
EVENTS
ones who just have academic capabilities,”
says Stuart. “The right attitude, leader-
ship ability, team work and creativity are
other key areas that employers look at,”
she added.
ITI’s role in skill
development
One of the areas where our economy needs
a substantial level of catching up is the
skills development turf. Expressing her
concern on the paucity of Industrial Train-
ing Institutes (ITI’s), Planning Commis-
sion secretary Sudha Pillai said, there are
3,600 blocks in the country where there
are no government institutes, funding, or a
mechanism to provide industrial training.
“ We have to achieve the target of provid-
ing industrial training to over 50 crore
people by 2022,” Pillai said. She invited
suggestions and feedback from industry
to improve the Skill Development Policy.
Harish Rawat, Minister of State for Labour
and Employment invited the private sector
to participate in the government’s initia-
tive. “Of the 1,500 ITI’s and 500,000 skill
development centres envisaged by the gov-
ernment, the XIth plan has initiated action
to set up 1,500 ITI’s and 5,000 such skill
development centres under public-private
partnership model.”
8 careers 360 september 2009
IIT’s metro and remote
initiative
IIT Delhi has begun its diploma
programme in Metro rail transport
technology and management,
sponsored by Delhi Metro Rail
Corporation to first batch of 22
students. Another initiative by
IIT-D is remote classroom in four
engineering disciplines to students
of Addis Ababa University in
Ethiopia at the postgraduation level.
It has set up two delivery rooms
equipped with video-conferencing
facilities to serve as the venue.
Custom-made courses
on the upswing
XLRI Jamshedpur is the latest
to join the bandwagon. It has
launched a programme tailor-made
to serve the needs expressed by
Accenture India. A new course
was started in human capital
management, a 15-month
certificate course catering to the
company’s needs. Bhavan’s Centre
for Inter-Disciplinary Studies in
Mumbai, offers programmes run by
companies such as ICICI Prudential
Life Insurance Co. Ltd and Tata
Capital Ltd. Academic tie-ups are
now experiencing an upward trend.
International Medical
Center at IIT
IIT Kharagpur has signed an initial
agreement with the University
of California, San Diego Health
Sciences to develop an International
Medical Center (IMC). The plan
includes a medical center, a 300-
bed facility and also a research and
development centre for training
health care providers. Students
would be able to earn Bachelor’s,
Master’s, doctorates and post-
doctorate degrees from IMC.
WatchoutFor !
Research Fellowships in USA
The East-West Center Washington is
offering South Asia Fellowship Program
Fall 2010. Scholars & analysts willing to
undertake policy-relevant research and
writing in any one: International relations
in South Asia; Political change in South
Asia or US-South Asia relations are
encouraged to apply. The monthly sti-
pend ranges from US$2,500 to $4,500.
Visit http://www.eastwestcenter.org
Apply before 15-Oct-09
careers NEWS CAMPUS NEWS NEW COURSES EVENTS
Soft skills training from Akademia
T he skill sets that recruiters seek include:
communication skills, confidence, cor-
porate awareness, leadership training and
personal grooming among others, and
many graduates lack them. Elements Aka-
demia which started in November, 2007,
seeks to address these skills gap. Set up by
IIM alumni, the institute is tying up with
visionary academic institutions to impart
training to MBA students. Says the CEO,
“We are primarily focusing on students
from tier II cities.” The institute has tied up
with colleges in Bhopal, Chandigarh and is
expanding operations in Delhi-NCR. The
six-month course which costs Rs. 15,000
has been designed and developed in con-
sultation with various industry experts like
Genpact, Accenture and HDFC Standard
Life. This is in a bid to ensure that the can-
didates become employable.
Incorporating financial Wall Street Journal with
crisis into education Indian connection
Business schools have incorporated les- WSJIDEBATE, a forum to discuss mul-
sons learnt from the financial meltdown tiple topics will be led by a panel of stu-
into their programmes. Financial model- dents from Indian universities and col-
ling is seen as the hot topic. Greg Hall- leges selected by none other than The Wall
man, senior lecturer at the University of Street Journal. The platform would allow
Texas aptly stated, “What’s missing is the chosen students to express their views and
thought process - what if I’m wrong?” Prof. facilitate comments and debate from their
Gabriel at UCLA uses real-world examples peers. Every week, the panel would select
to help develop students’ understanding and publish four items on a specific theme
of theories and testing them. Villanova triggered by a story that has appeared on
University’s School of Business is offering www. india.wsj.com. You can participate
‘Understanding the Global marketplace in by registering and adding your comments
a Post-Bailout Economy.’ Students need to the articles through the comment tabs.
to check out similar new courses that are Hopefully, this will encourage Indians
being offered, mostly in the USA to under- from all over the country to voice their own
stand adapt to post meltdown world. debates and opinions.
Scholarships on offer from Deakin for specific courses
Australia’s Deakin University has come up with scholarships for specific courses. Any gradu-
ate who opts for an MBA (International) would be eligible to apply for the scholarship offering
5,000 Australian dollars (AUD) per annum. By choosing this course you would be able to
specialize in HRM, Marketing, Finance, International Business, Information Manage-
ment, Retail Management, Research, Business Law and Insurance. You can apply as a fresh
graduate with no work experience to secure admission. Other courses to avail of the schol-
arship includes Engineering, Biotechnology, Film and Video, which will give you a chance
to AUD 3000 per annum in scholarships. By opting for a Master’s by research you are
eligible for a scholarship worth AUD 100,000, with no application fee for candidates from
India. You can email to di-india@deakin.edu.au for further details.
10 careers 360 september 2009
Wanted: Passionate
Contributors
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ager or an executive. But, all you need to
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Write to: editor@pathfinder360.co.in
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Mail your letters to us at:
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Advisory managing at your workplace

Multitask and
by Urmila Rao

F
or corporate employees, multi-
tasking bears a different mean-
ing today than it did histori-

save your job

cally. Primarily, the sheen is off
the label. Multitasking tag no longer
means that a cherry-picked employee
is assigned multiple tasks at his level or
above it, with the subtext: he is one of the
brightest staff in the organisation. The
global meltdown has stripped the cachet Ability to take on work beyond what is built into your
attached with the multitasking label.
“It is now two notches down from its job remit is the best way to survive recessionary times
perceived stand,” says Sunil Kalra, a
leading HR consultant. A post-slowdown
multi-tasker neither enjoys a greater role
responsibility, nor an attached author-
ity, or an envious pay packet. “Basically,
a manager now has to do work which he
did as a fresher,” sums up Kalra.
So, it is a small wonder that Jeet Singh,*
brand manager of a leading PR firm, has
to go on sales call, prepare quotations,
service the clients and collect outstand-
ing payments. “With my team size now
cut down to 4 from earlier 9, I have to
step out for the field work, which I have
not done in the last 5 years,” says the
32-year-old.
Smita,* a corporate manager with an
excellent track record of 11 years in a
leading global HR consultancy firm, quit
her job two months ago when she was
asked to take up sales and marketing
functions as additional responsibility.
Not keen, she tried to reason it out with
her employer and was met with “take-it
or leave-it” shrug. “Handling additional
responsibility is one of the most common
changes that people have been compelled
to make due to the recession,” states a
survey conducted in March this year by
TeamLease, a Banglaore-based staffing
company.
The survey titled ‘Changing Expec-
tations at Workplace’ in the wake of
the current slowdown revealed that 43
percent respondents have had to change
their role or department to keep their
employment safe, while a smaller 24
percent had to change their sector.
If you are faced with a situation which
requires multitasking what do you do?

SAVE YOUR JOB

●● Volunteer: “There are two ways to
look at the situation, either brush off or
Illustration: Gouri Nanda

12 careers 360 September 2009

volunteer to be an integral part of the
organisation and be a survivor,” sug-
gests Kalra. One of the key findings of
the survey was that around 80 percent
employees believed in ‘survival of the
fittest’ and felt that improving skill sets
was the best thing to do in the current
scenario.
In shaky times, cross-function expo-
sure becomes the differentiating edge.
Companies will be all too willing to
shed staff who are confined rigidly to
their work-roles and are unwilling to
move to other functional areas. Usu-
ally, in stressed situations, duties are
clubbed. For instance, administrative
duties tend to get aligned with HR or
Finance role.
●● Don’t test waters now: Despite the
reverse tide, Samir Seth* left his cushy
job of six years to join an international
advertising agency on a 100 percent sal-
ary hike. Little did he know, that he will
be a one-man army department. A mar-
keting executive, he has to fulfil other
responsibilities like drafting an internal
communiqué, making official speeches
for the CEO and preparing news letters.
His adaptability is cushioning his job.
“I wasn’t aware that I will be asked to
this mundane stuff but my interest in
writing actually saved me,” said Seth,
conceding that he made the mistake of
switching jobs at a time when the job
market is at its worst.
●● Smile, take up extra responsibility:
An organisation wants the assurance that
it has loyal employees who will stand by
it through thick and thin. So if you have
been assigned extra work, do it without
grouse. In situations where you see that
your extra labour will not be rewarded
monetarily, then create a situation where
the company is forced to recog ise your
efforts. For instance, if you have been
given the extra work of designing a bro-
chure, then ask for a separate desk or a
space where you can execute the design
work. At the allocated time, move to the
new workstation to conclude the work.
“This way an employee can not only
emphasise the additional responsi-
bility, but can also ensure that his com-
mitment is seen,” says Kalra. ‘Ensure
visibility in the organisation’, advise
HR experts.
●● Help generating revenues : Rev-
enue is what companies are interested in
tight financial situations, explains Kalra.
“Suppose you are a banking executive,
you can commit dedicating 30 hours a
month to meet 3 new clients to generate
revenues for the company,” he says. It is
all about adapting and assuming a new
role responsibility. From a teller, you
can turn to sales and marketing execu-
tive for your bank. This would mean
adjusting your work- timings, may be
arriving little early and putting in extra
1-2 hours.
●● Add one competency each year:
Irrespective of the mood and whims of
the job market, an employee should,
even in boom times, add one new com-
petency every year and work on the pro-
ficiency levels in an existing competency.
If an employee has nothing extra to add
in his résumé even after a year, it’s a sign
that complacence is creeping in and the
employee is risking falling out of favour
from the employment market.
So, just take a few progressive steps to
keep ahead of boom and bust times.
*names have been changed.

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13 careers 360 September 2009

Talk Point motivation
Acres of diamonds - right beneath your feet!
Prakash Iyer
CEO-Cards, Future Group,
and executive coach
Being happy and knowing your
strengths is the mantra of success
H
ave you heard of ‘Acres of Dia-
monds’? It was the title of a talk
delivered by Russell Conwell. The
inspirational talk became so popular
that Conwell ended up delivering it over 6000
times. At the heart of the talk is a little story
that’s as relevant today as it was a hundred
years ago.
The story goes that many years ago there
lived a farmer. He was a wealthy and con-
tented man, who would often play host to vis-
iting traders and explorers. And it was while
talking to one of them one fateful evening
that he learnt about their expeditions. They
were there in search of diamonds. Diamonds
that would make them rich, and make their
dreams come true. He was told of how if he
had a diamond the size of his thumb, he could
buy up the whole country.
The farmer couldn’t sleep that night. He kept
thinking of the diamonds, and how wealthy
they could make him. Sensing an opportunity,
the farmer too decided to go out and join the
hunt for diamonds. He sold his farm, and set
out on his search. He went far and wide but,
unfortunately, even after spending six months
- and a lot of money - the farmer couldn’t find
any diamond. He died soon after, broke and
heartbroken.
Meanwhile, back on the land the farmer had
sold, the new owner was watering the plants
in his garden, when he suddenly saw some-
thing glistening. He picked up the stone - and
then as he put his hand in the sand, he found
14 careers 360 September 2009
another, and then some more. Diamonds all!
Yes, there were acres of diamonds in the plot
of land which the farmer had sold and gone
away from, in his search for diamonds.
It’s an old story, but the lessons are as valid
today.
The goals we are looking for, the wealth
we are lusting after, they are all there, right
beneath our feet. It’s up to us to find them.
We are all blessed with unique gifts and tal-
ents. Some can sing, some are compassionate,
some of us can build bridges and some can
make the tastiest snacks. Yet, in our quest for
success and happiness, we all end up looking
for skills we lack, or chase supposedly hot
careers, disregarding our talents. And so we
all enrol for a computer class, or look for an
MBA degree, completely ignoring our real
talents and interests. As someone once said,
the Lord made each of us with great care and
thought. Let’s not waste time trying to put in
what He left out. Let’s just try and bring out
all that He left in!
Why do we fail to recognize the diamonds in
our own backyard? That’s probably because
diamonds usually appear in their rough, uncut
form. And polishing those uncut stones is
hard work. Rather than work on polishing
those diamonds and honing those precious
God-given talents, we join the bandwagon
that moves from job to job, career to career. In
search of those acres of diamonds.
Theo Roosevelt was right when he urged us
to “do what you can, with what you have, right
where you are.” That’s terrific advice.
There’s one little nugget in the story I just
love. Notice how the farmer is a wealthy and
contented man – until he hears about the
diamonds. He can’t sleep the night he hears
about them. Imagine! We all let our lives and
our joy be disturbed by a chance remark about
an illusory pot of gold that someone else is
chasing.
Learning to be happy with what you have can
make you wealthier than you’d ever imagine.
So what are your acres of diamonds? What
are your unique strengths? What can you get
to work on today, right where you are, that
could bring you happiness and prosperity?
Whatever it is, remember the secret to your
success lies inside you.
Your acres of diamonds are right beneath
your feet. Just look!
 lim
Hu d er
ite off
rr per
y! io
d
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CEO Speak chanda kochhar
Meteoric rise
of a banker
For Chanda Kochhar, CEO and man-
aging director of ICICI Bank, 2009 is a
landmark year. She completed 25 years
at the bank, becoming the first woman
to head it. Forbes recently named her
as one of the top twenty most power-
ful women in the world.“I was inclined
towards finance and banking became the
first preferred option,” she says adding
that the biggest support factor was her
family’s belief that children must pursue
the best education In a telecon with Vat-
sala Kamat, she highlights a few defin-
ing moments in her career trajectory
and spells out ICICI’s work culture and
employee philosophy.
Q: What factors brought about this
meteoric rise in your career?
A: During my initial years in the bank,
I was into pure project appraisal and
project finance. This was a good learning
experience as it gave me great insight
into business risk analysis. Persistent
effort, a long innings across various
divisions of the bank, strategic agility
and emotional balance helped me rede-
fine and manage change effectively at
the bank at various stages. What also
worked well for me was that through this
period, ICICI itself grew, diversified and
evolved into a banking giant, which gave
me a rich experience.”
16 careers 360 September 2009
Q: Can you recount any defining
moments in your career?
A: One such would be when I was
assigned the responsibility setting up
and running the retail business in 2000.
This entire retail thrust was new not
only for me but for the ICICI group and
even the country as a whole. And a few
years down the line the retail business
became the major contributor to the
growth of the bank’s balance sheet. I
believe that through my retail banking
experience, I also learnt the importance
of identifying customer needs and con-
stantly striving to add value to our rela-
tionship with them..
Q: Did the bank cut back on work
force or salaries during recession? Is
there a revival in the sector now?
A: Even during recession, we did not cut
back on employees. Like many compa-
nies, we too focused on productivity. For
example, while we set up 475 branches
last year, we did not add to the number of
employees; hence improved productiv-
ity. We do not have a philosophy of cut-
ting back salaries, but the performance-
 Soumik Kar/Outlook Group
linked variable pay system and bonus
help us manage salary levels Across the
industries, while the rate of creation of
new employment has reduced, there is
no concern on people losing jobs now.
I am seeing signs of economic recovery
on a quarter to quarter basis. I think we
have peaked in terms of the pains we had
and challenges we faced.
Q: What skills do an effective banking
professional need? At ICICI, what is
critical for employee reward?
A: The basic knowledge of banking is
very important. However, a banking
professional must acquire the soft skills
needed to deal with customers while
keeping in mind the interest of the bank.
In other words, an efficient banker must
be sensitive to customer needs but must
have sound risk assessment skills. In
banking, you must be able to assess risks,
and take appropriate decisions.
At ICICI Bank consistent performance
is the ticket to come into the consider-
ation set. Thereafter it is the leadership
ability to identify the customer needs
and shape delivery systems.
Q: ICICI recruits employees from
Tier I to Tier III institutions. How
different are their perspective?
A: Well, a sound management degree
certainly widens the horizons of a per-
son. Some institutes take the best can-
didates at the graduate level. So, when
we recruit from reputed educational
institutions, we believe that one round
of filtering has already taken place.
However, just an MBA is not a pass-
port to success on the career front. How
he performs in a job depends on the
person’s capabilities and willingness to
learn skill sets associated with the job.
At ICICI, we have a one-year pro-
gramme where we train and orient
recruits on suitable skills for the bank-
ing industry. We have also tied up with
institutes like NIIT to train and prepare
students for the entry stage jobs in the
banking sector.
The youth of today
should learn to stick
it out in one area
at least for a
reasonable period
of time which will
help them build
personal skill and
capability
Q: One common perception is that
ICICI has aggressive growth strate-
gies. Do you look for this attribute in
your employees?
A: We are a growth organisation. But we
are not aggressive. Our growth strate-
gies are formulated in the context of our
environment . Our recruitment param-
eters are uniform at the entry level.
Thereafter we conduct an aptitude test
of the employees mainly to judge what
job would suit his profile. The differ-
ence in aptitude would be more in terms
of the candidate’s risk management or
marketing or administrative skills rather
than an aggressive personality.
17 careers 360 September 2009
Q: What is the work culture you wish
to instil in your organisation? How do
you ensure this given the high attri-
tion rates in the industry?
A: At ICICI, we set the broad vision
and employ young people to carry on
the vision forward. We believe that a
growth oriented organisation throws up
tremendous opportunities for employ-
ees. It is up to the employees to see how
they could learn from the environment
around and take on larger roles and
responsibilities. Empowerment comes
with both responsibility and account-
ability. We are not averse to employees
moving across job functions, for which
again there are procedures to be fol-
lowed. This flexibility helps maintain the
drive and energy levels in employees.
ICICI has over many years been
successful in not losing the people we
want to retain. Employees also know
where they stand in terms of profes-
sional achievements and efficiency on a
monthly basis, and are not taken by sur-
prise at the end of the year. Apart from
this we have made huge investment in
attrition proofing our organisation. thro
Q: What are the advantages in Young
India from a banking employment
perspective? Where could they
improve?
A: The customer of the next 20 years
will be a product of social thinking and
preference of the youth of today. Thus
today’s young employee has a distinctive
advantage of being able to understand
and service the needs of the emerging
customers. They will play an important
part in shaping ICICI Bank’s thinking,
business model and processes. Their
innate comfort with technological
changes will also help them and through
them the Bank to adapt and deliver
appropriate products and services.
The youth of today should learn to
stick it out in one area at least for a rea-
sonable period of time which will help
them build personal skill and capability
to make a difference. They should learn
to be able to under play individualism
and collaborate more with colleagues.
Lastly they should develop the ability to
focus and concentrate on select areas for
sufficient time without losing attention
and concentration the way they browse
the channels or the net.
Career Review Animation and Digital Technology

ANIMATION : scope un

Indian animation industry has grown exponentially over the years, offering a variety
of highly-paid job openings, a field where demand far outstrips supply.

by Yunus Bukhari graphics, animation, audio and video to was shown as a film in the theaters. In
create virtual magic. Animation is only the early twenties, traditional animation

E
very one knows Mickey Mouse,
Donald Duck, Tom and Jerry
and Stuart Little - some of the
animated characters that always
entertain us. Do you know how these
characters were born and how the art
of drawing makes such wonders pos-
sible? The answer is ‘Animation’ - one of
the fastest growing and most in-demand
industries in the world. Animation and
Visual Effects are among the major hunt-
ed jobs of the 21st century. Multimedia,
as the name suggests, is an enormous
field that uses more than one medium of
communication. It merges text, images,
one component of multimedia.
Historical overview
The art of animation can be traced to
pictures on rock surfaces. It was formal-
ly demonstrated in 1828 by a French-
man, Paul Roget. The first animated film
‘Humorous Phases of Funny Faces’ by
J. Stuart Blackton was made in 1906 by
drawing comical faces on a blackboard,
photographing them, and then erasing
it to draw another stage of the facial
expression. In 1914, the first cartoon
named ‘Gertie, the Dinosaur’ by Winsor
McCay, comprising 10,000 drawings,
techniques were developed and more
sophisticated cartoons were produced.
And it was during this time that Warner
Bros and Walt Disney studios came to
exist. Computer animation, started dur-
ing seventies and eighties, had a greater
impact and with the passage of time,
more and more advanced techniques
were developed.
Animation, which derived its name
from the Latin word ‘anima’ meaning
soul, can be defined as the art of breath-
ing life to a character or object. A blend
of entertainment industry and technol-
ogy, it is concerned with design, drawing,

18 careers 360 September 2009


limited
layout and production of graphically rich
and attractive multimedia clips. In other
words animation is making of movies,
games or cartoons by moving the draw-
ings or models of animals or people
with the help of computers or other
electronic means. Time and space play
a critical role in animation.
Let’s look at the art of making an ani-
mation. Besides the most commonly
used animations, i.e. two-dimensional
(2D) and three-dimensional (3D), there
is also puppet animation, clay anima-
tion, sand animation, etc. Both 2D and
3D animation can be created digitally.
2D animation
Also known as classical animation,
2 dimensional animations deal more
with drawing and framing and is the
base of 3D animation. 2D animators
work mostly on paper, creating frames
Q&A A trainer’’s perspective
In an email interview with Urmila Rao, Ninad
Karpe, CEO &MD, APTECH discuses the current
and future secnarioes with respect to training
and employment in animation sector
Q: Does the education and training
imparted in our animation colleges
match up to the global require-
ment?
A: The last few years have seen the
industry evolve and mature to deliver
high international standard projects.
These high quality projects are execut-
ed by Indian animators, most of them
trained in India. Global experience of
a decade in imparting quality educa-
tion has helped us also in imparting
industry-relevant quality training.
Q: Animation institutes are tying
up with universities. How does the
trend help the students?
A: Tie-ups with universities to offer
degree courses in Animation and Mul-
timedia make it a power-packed com-
bination enhancing the employability
of the students manifold. It opens up
a world of opportunities for them in
this sphere.
Q: A lot of animation institutes have
opened up in the recent past. How
should a student identify which
ones provide quality education?
A: Reputation and experience are the
two most critical factors. Students
should pick up an institute that has
high quality trainers with in depth
knowledge, industry-relevant course
curriculum and good infrastructure.
Students should also verify on the
placement and internship opportuni-
ties provided by the institute.
Q: What are your thoughts on the
course content being taught to the
students? Is it aligned to the indus-
try requirement?
A: Course content should be custom-
ized to provide hands-on experience.
It should be designed in a manner that
involves a lot of interaction with the
industry by way of organizing field
trips, events, seminars, talks and pre-
sentations.
Indian firms are looking at innovative
ideas for shoring up their workforce.
Apart from calling in industry experts,
19 careers 360 September 2009
the industry is also
tying up with insti-
tutions to develop
and impart indus-
try-specific course content.
Q: What are the attributes and
skills required to be a performer in
the sector?
A: In order to be successful as an ani-
mator, one should possess skills like
creative and innovative thinking, focus
and discipline, motivation and versa-
tility. Meticulous observation skills
can definitely give one an edge over
the others. Skills required in anima-
tion fall under two categories, tech-
nical and soft skills. Drawing, design
layout, techniques and training on rel-
evant softwares, creating moods and
putting feeling in characters are skills
that can be acquired through a formal
animation training programme from
an institute of repute. But some of the
skills can be imbibed only from careful
observation.
Q: What is the scope of growth for
ambitious professionals?How far is
the sector export-dependent?
A: Animation is a career which finds
favour despite the slowdown. The ani-
mation industry has seen tremendous
growth and is now becoming main-
stream in film entertainment and tele-
vision. India is increasingly presenting
itself as a favourable destination for
the foreign animation industry, par-
ticularly in post-production and 3-D
content development. Many enter-
tainment giants, such as Walt Disney,
Sony Pictures and Turner Entertain-
ment, which make and develop tele-
vision commercials and computer
games, are off-shoring animation con-
tent to India. This has resulted in
substantial increase in the number of
professionals enrolling for animation
courses (compound annual growth
rate at 18.2 per cent). In sum, the sec-
tor presents a huge job opportunity
for the young and talented students of
this country.
In depth Animation and Digital Technology

All that goes into the making

S
o how do you become an visual communication -- including design, Secret about software
animator or a visual effect artist? composition, texture, colour theory — is Does it make sense that any prospective
First of all, you need a solid foundation also important for this profession. animator should concentrate on learning
in drawing — undoubtedly, the most And don’t forget science! Creating the latest animation software packages?
important element of an animator’s believable animation requires that you Well... not really. The truth is that, while
education. All the computer skills in the understand the properties and effects computers have become an increasingly
world can’t mask a bad artist. So make sure of gravity, momentum, inertia, friction, large part of animation education, they’re no
that you find a programme where you’ll fluid dynamics, and so on. Knowledge of substitute for the fundamentals — learning
spend the long, necessary hours honing mechanical engineering principles and the nuances of drawing, shading, lighting,
your craft. Ideally, go for a programme that a thorough understanding of physics and storytelling. While you should know
offers a combination of life drawing, layout and mathematics are absolutely enough about computer graphics to
animation,and fundamental drawing studies. necessary. For example, the know how they work in general,
In addition to drawing skills, you’ll need more you understand You you should avoid learning
a programme that covers the requisite about mechanical will have to software packages, for
animation skills like storytelling, layout, linkage, sliding and the sake of learning it.
character design, direction, design, editing, rotational joints, put in long hours of Today’s packages will
acting and visual communication. power transmission, disciplined hard work, be rendered obsolete
Animation skills should include not only and so forth, the as quickly as you
a knowledge of fundamentals (weight, more realistic your and most importantly- learn them, and many
movements, timing, reversals, motivational machines will be. have a genuine love studios use proprie
forces and thinking time, etc.), but also The same holds true tary software that you
in-betweening, clean-up and visual effects for the anatomy and for animation can’t learn in school
(wind, rain, shadows, water, explosions, kinesiology of humans anyway. So just get your
etc.) as well. A general background in and animals. basics right.

to define a sequence that are then
moved at varying speeds to create the
illusion of motion. The process involves
creating large number of drawings, and
scanning them onto the computer and
importing them into the software that
helps in setting the timing and layers for
the scanned sequence of images. Toonz
Harlequin, Adobe Flash, CelAction,
Anime Studio, Toon Boom Animation,
Animaker are some of the softwares
used for creating 2D animation charac-
ters. 2D images look shallow, while 3D
images have depth, making them look
more real.
Computer-generated imagery
3D animations, are a series of images/
objects created using computers
or any other digital media. 3D ani-
mators deal with modelling, ren-
dering, texturing and lighting. The
texture, lighting and colour of the
3D objects are modified using soft-
ware programmes and virtual cam-
eras are used to focus, resize, zoom and
illuminate the figures. Digital anima-
tion has the power to create effects not
possible with classical animation. Film,
advertising, video and gaming are the
fast growing fields for 3D animation.
This technique makes extensive use of
animation software programmes like
3ds Max (Autodesk), Softimage|XSI,
Houdini and MAYA (Autodesk) etc. It
also finds use in the other areas like web
graphics to create websites.
How to become an animator
Training is the most important factor in
moulding a skilled professional in anima-
tion. To become an animator, one doesn’t
require any specific academic qualifica-
tion. Those with a basic sketching skill
and a passion for animation can
enter this field. For a better job
prospect, one should have a degree
or diploma in animation.
Degree and diploma courses in
animation are now abundant, apart
from online services. Minimum qual-
ification for a degree and diploma course
in animation is plus two or equivalent.
Any graduate, preferably arts graduate
could apply for postgraduation in ani-
mation. But some institutions such as
Industrial Design Center, Indian Insti-
tute of Technology and Indian Institute
of Design follow eligibility criterion that
only a graduate of architecture, technol-
ogy and engineering, fine arts can apply
for the PG course in these institutes.
Besides these graduate and postgradu-
ate courses, there are several profes-
sional courses that focus on various
styles and techniques. These courses,
i.e. courses in Traditional animation,
Stop-motion animation, Rotscoping,
Computer generated 3D and 2D anima-
tion Clay-mation, Photoshop, Human

20 careers 360 September 2009

of a good animator
Focusing on film, multimedia
If you intend to pursue a job animating for
television or film, then you should probably
look for a programme that matches that
interest and provides the background the
potential employers are looking for. Check
for programmes that focus on traditional
skills like drawing, painting, and sculpture,
as well as “film knowledge” such as
cinematography and composition. Find
out how the school will help you build an
effective portfolio of your work: not just
a collection of assignments, but a well-
developed presentation of your unique
point of view, and your technical skills. You
should also check out how well-integrated
the school’s theatre and film departments
are with their 2D and 3D art departments.
Likewise, if you want to focus on producing
multimedia animation, you should find a
programme that covers the constraints and
peculiarities of producing animation for
the web, CD-ROM, and various other media,
including online publishing.
anatomy, Drawing etc. help one to
specialize in a particular area. One
should also have a basic knowledge in
handling a computer.
Creativity is the key
An animator should have an artistic
bent with a lot of passion and imagina-
tive skills. Creativity is the most wanted
quality as animation starts with develop-
ing an idea to a story. The art of sketch-
ing or drawing is another basic skill one
should possess. Patience, discipline and
dedication to work are vital as this field
involves a lot of hard work and long hours
of thorough planning. He/she should
have a sound understanding of anatomy
of humans, animals or birds and body
movements and lighting effects. Good
communication skill is also needed as
most of the time it involves teamwork.
An animator should have a good sense
of colour, proportion, size, design, visu-
alizations, knowledge of background art
and layout. They must have expertise in
computer design software. Knowledge
Applications of animation
Stereoscopic 3D animation is an emerging
stream in animation, where optical illu-
sion is used for raising image and colour
quality to higher levels. Recent films – Ice
age, Monster’s Inc etc. are good examples.
Medical animation is also emerging as
a popular stream with several potential
applications. Gaming is another major area
of animation industry and an emerging
application in mobile industry.
The major application areas of computer
animations are:
l Advertising
l TV Broadcasting
l Film / TV programmes
l Virtual reality
l Games
l Architecture
l Web
l Education
l Scientific applications
l Space explorations
l Medical imaging
of programming languages (C++, Java)
will be an added benefit. It is advanta-
geous to understand photography, light-
ing and movement for those planning to
work in computer animation. They must
be able to visualise how an object will
look in three dimensions and have the
know-how to make an animated object
look real.
Job prospects and options
A strong work portfolio is an essential
part of landing a job in computer anima-
tion. Numerous job opportunities are
available in India and abroad. It opens
the door to major film
industries such as
Hollywood, the
world of visual
effects and imagery.
It is a booming indus-
try with wide job open-
ings and one can work on
full length animation mov-
ies or any other related field
like television, advertising
21 careers 360 September 2009
l
l
Legal / Insurance
Personal
l Computer Aided Design and
Engineering
l Corporate communications
Important steps to remember before you
embark on the career
Step 1: Study the visual arts. All artists need
training and even in the digital world they
use many of the same terms such as light,
shadow, volume and depth.
Step 2: Get your education. In any craft,
education is essential and in the VFX field,
going to school will give you the necessary
tools to become competent in your field.
Step 3: Intern at Animation/VFX studio.
An excellent way to gain entrée into
the professional world. Like any other
internship, they are unpaid opportunities to
learn from the professionals while you gain
skills in the academic arena.
Step 4: Network. In any field you want to
become acquainted with those who aspire
to do the same thing as yourself Surround
yourself with like-minded people. If you
want to be a master, be prepared to be a
successful servant first!
industry etc. An Animated feature film,
which offers considerable employment
prospects, is a combined talented effort
of a wide variety of artists. A typical
animation film requires around 500 ani-
mators. Some of the jobs offered in the
industry are:
●● Content developers
●● Modellers - They make the models
for animation. Must have a solid under-
standing of anatomy, form and volume.
●● Story board artists - Those with
strong drawing skills, who can visual-
ize a sequence of events from frame to
frame.
Career
In depthReview
Animation
Animation
and Digital
andTechnology
Digital Technology

Choosing the right institute

Select Schools offering animation education
Top Indian schools NID Ahmedabad Animation Film Design
l Arena IDC, IIT Bombay Mumbai Animation and
l Frameboxx Game Design
l Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics
Arena Animation 80+ centres Animation, Visual
l Manipal University all over India Effects, Gaming, etc
The institute where you study should be the industry leader, which Whistling Woods Institute Mumbai 2D, 3D
intends to train thousands of professionals like you on the latest
Srishti Bangalore Animation and
service technologies and production techniques. In addition to Game Design
offering production and post-production, courses should be taught
DSK Institute of Design Pune Animation and
with entirely digital equipment. Training institutes must provide Game Design
workshops designed specifically to put you on the right track in your
Graphiti Mumbai 3D
transition to digital.
ICAAT 4 centers 2 D, 3D
Toonz Animation Aacademy Thiruvananthapuram 2D, 3D
World’s best animation schools
Toonz Webel Aacademy Kolkata 2D, 3D
Nanyung Technological Univeristy Singapore www.ntu.edu.sg
ICAT Chennai 2D, 3D, Visual Effects,
Sheridan Institute Canada www.sheridaninstitute.ca Game Design
California Institute of Art USA www.calarts.edu ANTS Bangalore 2D, 3D

School of Visual Arts USA www.schoolofvisualarts.edu ZICA Mumbai 2D, 3D

Rhode Island School of Design USA www.risd.edu Race Hyderabad 2D, 3D, Editing
AAAT Kolkata 2D, 3D
Royal College of Art UK www.rca.ac.uk
Toonskool 3 centers 2D, 3D
ENSAD France www.ensad.fr/accueil.htm
Animaster Bangalore, Chennai, 2D, 3D, Web Animation
Camera Obscura School of Art Isreal www.camera.org.il Delhi
Source: desgininindia.net

●● Character animators - They bring
characters to life and generally have
knowledge of traditional animation,
stop-motion animation as well as clay-
mation
●● Background artists - They specialise
in painting the background of the char-
acters and setting the background for
the project.
●● Layout artists - They decide the light-
ing and camera angles and sketch the
background design for the animation.
●● 2D animators - They are involved in
the creation of a high volume of separate
drawings that define a sequence.
●● In-between animators - They have to
learn all the basics of animation and are
at the beginning position in the career.
●● Scanner operators - They scan the
clean up artists’ drawings.
●● Compositing artists - Layering indi-
vidual frames of animation on top of
one another to create final images.
These images are then strung together
to create complete shots or mini ani-
mated movies.
●● Visual effects artists - They integrate
live-action footage with computer-gen-
erated imagery or other elements.
●● Audio and video specialists - Design-
ing the sound for animation and also
editing the visuals with softwares such
as Avid and Final Cut Pro.
●● Visualisers – Visualise the script and
create basic designs for the project.
●● Texture artists - Apply surface to the
3D character, object or environment.
●● Rigging artists - They take the mod-
elled, textured 3D character or object
and set it up with a skeletal system or
joints (if required). Without this step,
the 3D model would not be able to ani-
mate, talk or move fluidly and correctly.
●● Clean-up artists - They check the
accuracy and consistency of the designs
and drawings. A good clean up artist
should have excellent draftsman skill
with the knowledge of density, width,
volume and mass.
●● Lighting artists - They create vari-
ations of shade, colour intensity and
shadows.
●● Digital ink and paint artists - They
give colours to each frame.
●● Compositors - They bring together
all the different characters and back-
grounds into a single frame.
●● Editors - They edit the visuals with
softwares like Avid and Final Cut Pro.
●● Key frame animators - Draw pictures
of a movement’s beginning and end.
●● Rendering artists - They take all the
data in a scene such as models, textures,
animation, lighting, etc and output the
correct combination in the form of indi-
vidual frames of animation.
●● 3D animators - They take the sculpt-
ed, textured and rigged 3D model and
breathe life into it. This is done by put-
ting in order the key frames so that they
appear to be in motion.
●● Image Editors - They assemble visu-
al and audio components of a film into a
coherent and effective whole.
●● Compositors - They combine visual
elements from separate sources into
single images, often to create an illusion.
It involves the replacement of selected

22 careers 360 September 2009

Cracking bank Probationary Officers Exam
Kick starting a
bankable career
Banking offers excellent upward mobility. Most of the
CMDs began as POs and climbed up the career ladder
by Ulhas Vairagkar
B
anking sector in India has been
one of the preferred destina-
tions for employment. A career
in banking assures well paid,
secure and satisfying career prospects.
Unlike the banks in USA and some
other developed countries, Indian banks
have proved to be rock-solid and have
remained virtually unaffected by the
global meltdown in banking industry.
Banks have now diversified their activi-
ties and are getting into new products
and services including credit cards,
consumer finance, wealth management,
insurance, investment banking, mutual
funds, pension fund regulation, stock-
broking services etc.
Indian banks are going global, setting
up offices in foreign countries and offer
opportunities in a global arena.
Employment opportunities
Banking sector was one of the largest
job providers in the country in 2008-09
with over 50,000 vacancies being noti-
fied and 2009-10 is likely be an encore!
Banking industry provides entry oppor-
tunity at clerical and officer levels. The
Probationary Officer (PO) is the entry-
level position in the managerial cadre in
banking industry. Most of the current
chairman-cum-managing directors of
the public sector banks have joined as
PO and risen to the highest level in the
bank hierarchy. Each bank has a sepa-
rate process of selection for the POs.
Some use only the exam, some others
an interview too. Not surprisingly, every
bank PO exam attracts lakhs of gradu-
ates, postgraduates and professionals
who want to grab one of few hundreds
or thousands of vacancies notified.
Eligibility for bank PO
For PO exam, a graduate with pre-
scribed marks and in the age group of
21 to 30 years is eligible. The banks nor-
mally prescribe 55% or 60% marks in
the graduation for PO. Some banks pre-
scribe different set of marks for science
and arts or commerce graduates. Every
bank provides a relaxation in case of SC/
ST and other reserved category candi-
dates in age and educational qualifica-
tions. Normally, a relaxation of 5 years
in age-limit and 5% in marks in gradua-
tion is granted to SC/ST candidates.
Selection process
The selection process for PO varies from
bank-to-bank. It is a two-stage process
for most of the banks. The first stage is
the written test, normally conducted in
two parts - an objective-type followed
by a descriptive test.
Candidates shortlisted in the written
test are required to appear in group dis-
cussions and personal interview. Some Then there are some exceptions like
banks do not have group discussion Syndicate bank that does not conduct a
and use only Personal Interview for the written test. They shortlist candidates
final selection. Typically, the number based on academic background and
of shortlisted students after the written selection is based on performance in
test stage is about 5-7 times that of the personal interview alone.
number of vacancies.
SBI had experimented with a three- Written test
stage selection process in 2008. Simi- The objective-type part of the PO exam
larly, PNB’s exam on 30th August, 2009 includes reasoning, quantitative apti-
is a three-stage one. tude, general awareness and English
language. Apart from these, a few banks
also include questions on computer
awareness, banking awareness and mar-
Unaffected by global keting aptitude in their written tests.
meltdown Indian Most of the banks expect candidates
banks remain a safe to do well in each test area and have a
‘sectional cut-off’ score in each section/
bet for job seekers area to qualify. Except for the English
section, the question paper is bilingual,
24 careers 360 September 2009

i.e., in English and in Hindi.
The test pattern may change depend-
ing upon the bank, but in general, the
test has about 200-225 questions hav-
ing five options with maximum marks
ranging from 200 to 250. Duration of
the objective-type part normally varies
between two hours to two hours and
15 minutes. It has negative marking for
incorrect answers with such answers
attracting one-fourth or 0.25 of the
marks assigned to that question.
Reasoning examines analytical and
problem-solving skills. It includes visual
or non-verbal reasoning, Venn diagrams,
cubes, letter and number series, analo-
gies, coding-decoding, strong and weak
statements, Syllogisms etc.
English language part includes ques-
tions in the area of grammar, vocabulary
Clearing po exam ensures a solid profession
with enough career avenues to reach the top
including synonyms, antonyms and fill-
in-the blanks etc. A significant number
of banks including IOB and Union Bank
do not use score in this section for com-
piling the merit list and it is used only
as a qualifying score. However, quite
a few banks do not mention anything
and are likely to include marks scored
in this section in compiling the merit
list. Some banks like SBI and PNB do
include marks of this section.
General awareness section tests under-
standing of environmental and social
issues, people and events etc.
Quantitative aptitude measures the
numerical ability and accuracy in math-
ematical calculations. The questions
range from purely numeric calculations
to problems from arithmetic, algebra
and geometry, graph and table reading,
percentage analysis, categorization and
quantitative analysis. The level of test is
broadly up to that of X class.
The descriptive part of the PO exam
follows the objective part of the test
and aims to test a candidate’s writing
abilities. It is generally of qualifying
nature i.e. the candidate must secure
minimum prescribed marks (normally
40% for general and 35% for reserved
category students) but it will not be
considered while compiling the merit
list. The duration of descriptive part is
normally one hour. It typically includes
4-5 questions in areas including essay
on current topics, summary writing and
reading comprehension. The merit list
is made on the basis of marks secured in
objective test and group discussion and
interview alone.
QuickTake
■■ Sectional cut-offs are important. So ensure
that you score well in all sections.
■■ Spend least possible time on GK. Answer
what you know and move forward
■■ Get your grammar right. Prepare well.
■■ Practice essay writing well. It is a qualifying
exam. Ensure that you score well.
■■ Maths and reasoning must get your
maximum attention both in preparation and
during test taking.
Relative weights of different sections vary.
■■
So do not take any section lightly
25 careers 360 September 2009
Preparing for bank PO
The candidate should be well versed in
maths up to X class and a good ground-
ing using NCERT books will be useful.
As speed is important in answering more
questions in a limited time, candidates
should build speed through mental cal-
culations and option elimination.
Most candidates find reasoning sec-
tion to be tough since they had never
studied it in school/colleges. It will be
important for them to practise these
questions much more. Otherwise they
may not clear the sectional cut-off even
if they score well in other sections.
In English section, strong vocabulary
and good grammar fundamentals are
essential to do well. The level of diffi-
culty in this section is normally not very
high and it can therefore be a scoring
section. The questions in general aware-
ness section are more likely to be from
current developments rather than static
GK. Candidates should cultivate a habit
of daily reading newspaper diligently.
That is the best way to update yourself.
Remember you could answer in Hindi as
well most of the sections.
Exam Strategy
It is our ‘guesstimate’ that a candidate
needs to score about 50-60% marks
to have a good chance of qualifying for
the next and final round. However, this
may vary and will depend on the level of
difficulty of the paper and competition.
Spend least possible time on GK since
if you don’t know the answer, you are
unlikely to remember it anyway. Since
most questions in maths and reasoning
sections require to be solved, allot more
time to these two sections.
The exam has negative marking, so
guessing recklessly will backfire. But
if you can eliminate three options out
of five, go ahead and guess judiciously.
Finally, solving model papers in the
given time limit will help you to build
speed and assess your performance. So
it is strongly recommended that you
solve a large number of model papers.
Banking is a bankable career for ambi-
tious and result-oriented persons and
bank PO is the best route to reach the
highest echelons in this industry.
Ulhas is the Director of
TIME Education, Delhi
ADVISORY SELECTING a COACHING CENTRE
Does CAT coaching
Are coaching centres a must to crack the CAT? If they are, what all do they offer
and if they aren’t, how should an individual prepare on his own?
by Urmila Rao
C
lose your eyes to
picture a lean old man,
wearing a dhoti, bare-chested,
slightly bent, holding a staff
to support his thin frame and walking
at a hurried pace, showing a sense of
urgency. Picture him again. What is the
colour of the dhoti you visualized? Is
it white or cream or pale yellow? In a
majority of cases, individuals don’t think
beyond these colours. Some of you will
also picture the old man as Mahatma
Gandhi. Go back to your kindergarten
days. “A” for? You will invariably blurt
out “Apple”.
But, what has the Common Aptitude
Test (CAT) got to do with these exam-
ples? Or for that matter, the coaching
centres that prepare the students for the
CAT? The answer is: A lot.
But first, what is CAT? It is an
entrance exam for the IIMs and other
noted B-schools in India that qualifies
a candidate to secure a seat in Master of
Business Administration (MBA) pro-
gramme. But passing the written test
is not the only criterion. A prospective
student has to clear Group Discussion
(GD) and Interviews as well. The IIM’s
minimum cut-off score is anywhere
between 99.7-99.9 percentile. Students
scoring less have the choice of other
B-schools. The CAT exam is held once a
year and is on Math, Data Interpretation
and English. The questions, with nega-
tive marking, differ in each test. There is
no set pattern.
What does the CAT assess
The CAT tests one’s ability to think
beyond the obvious. And obvious implies
what has been dinned into an individu-
al’s head for years in educational and
social circles. So while “Apple” is recited
without a strain, the brain requires a bit
more effort to stretch out for unconven-
tional alternatives like: arc, ape, arm
or actor. How many have been given
26 careers 360 September 2009
exposure beyond the obvious words, or
will be given in the future?
The coaching centres preparing stu-
dents for the CAT, tutor the mind to
think beyond the apparent.
“The CAT checks the logical reason-
ing power of the students,” says Neelesh
Kossambi, national manager, media
marketing of Mumbai-based IMS
Learning that has been coaching MBA
aspirants for the last 31 years.
R Shiva Kumar, director, Academics
and R&D, Career Launcher, reiterates
the same thought. “Most problems
check the ability of the student to apply
the fundamental concepts in situations
that are not direct,” he says.
As corporate businesses grow, they
relentlessly hunt minds that think differ-
ently. ”We need brains that are capable of
providing quick and deft solutions to the
matter?
real issues,” says an Human Resource of being associated with the IIM brand
manager snapping his fingers. “So the in addition to a golden wage packet
remuneration has to be equally attrac- is reason enough for dreamers to get
tive,” he adds. cracking.
So, it is small wonder that MBA aspi- Catering to the hope are numerous
rants are ready to pull out all the stops coaching institutes. In the last eight to
in a bid to crack the CAT. The prestige 10 years, a dime a dozen have sprung
“Coaching Centres provide
competitive environ-
ment to students, helping
them to benchmark their
preparedness vis-à-vis
other students”
Manek Daruvala
Founder-director, Triumphant Institute
of Management Education
27 careers 360 September 2009
TIPS ON SELECTING A
QUALITY COACHING CENTRE
■■ Interact with the faculty before joining and
get a sense of what the coaching would
consist of.
■■ Take feedback from senior students on:
quality of faculty, their attitude, teaching
methodology and query-handling approach.
A lot is tied to how you get coached. Then
ask the basics like: number of classes
conducted in reality, the frequency of test
series, the batch size and the infrastructure.
■■ Ask the institute about the actual
conversion figures and not the number of
calls received.
■■ Written exam is just one component, ask
the senior students on how the institute
fares when it comes to handling group
discussions and interviews.
■■ Ask for a demo class.
■■ Choose a national-level centre over a local
one. They are reputed to conduct a lot
of test series. Besides, a heterogeneous
mix of students from various academic
backgrounds helps in comparing your test
preparedness with others.
■■ Don’t feel shy about asking questions even
if it is during admission and or if in the
classroom. The more “whys” you have, the
more clear-headed you will be.
up in almost all corners of cities and
are highly concentrated at colleges and
youth hang-out points. Huge hoardings
of various hues and shapes jostle for
eyeballs. But do students necessarily
require Coaching Centre (CC) tutor-
ing? Among many nods, there have
been quite a few emphatic opposite
views as well.
Role of coaching centers
Manek Daruvala, founder-director, Tri-
umphant Institute of Management Edu-
cation (T.I.M.E.), feels that CCs provide
competitive environment to students,
helping them to benchmark their pre-
paredness vis-à-vis other students.
“Besides, how many students would
have the self-discipline to study on
their own?,” asks the Hyderabad-based
IIM-A graduate, who started T.I.M.E a
good 17 years ago. Chennai-based IIM
graduate Mythili Balakrishnan has a dif-
ferent opinion. She says, “A considerable
number of IIM students don’t take any
coaching.”
Tusharika Sinha, who graduated in
ADVISORY SELECTING a COACHING CENTRE
“Coaching centres
impart knowledge-
based training,
but the actual
need is for
intelligence-based
training”
Prashant Monga
Founder, Alchemist, Delhi-based CC
2003 from IIM-A, now a senior partner
in iCresset Talent Solutions, prepared
on her own. She subscribed to the coach-
ing material of IMS Learning, Mumbai
on an IIM graduate’s recommendation.
“It gave me a very good understanding
of question pattern and enabled me to
perfect time management, which is one
of the most critical aspects in clearing
the CAT,” says Sinha.
Abhishek Sharma, a self-coached IIM-
Indore graduate, didn’t go about scru-
tinizing one coaching centre from the
other either. He decided to bell the CAT
on his own. “Ten years ago there weren’t
many coaching stations,” concedes the
35-year-old who also got selected at
IIM-Calcutta.
Now working as a brand manager with
US-based Becton, Dickinson and Com-
pany, Sharma reveals the secret of his
success. “Hard work, being part of a like-
minded group and studying from quality
reference material.”
Sharma adds humbly, “I don’t consider
myself to be exceptionally gifted. I disci-
plined myself to study hard and formu-
lated a few techniques.” He recollects
the preparation days at Udaipur where
he was an engineering student. Getting
up early for a walk in the calm, cool
mornings with his friend, preparing for
CAT, taking two mock tests and then
settling for college studies before head-
ing for the college. His memory plays
out clearly.
“After getting back from the college,
both of us used to check the results to
analyse and identify the weak areas to
work on them the next day,” recollects
Sharma. The routine continued unin-
terrupted for 14-15 months. “While my
Math was strong, I knew I had to work
on my vocabulary and comprehension,”
he recollects. So, an unrelenting spirit
made him work harder. He made 10
cards of new words every day from the
‘Barron’s guide to the SAT by Brown-
stein and Weiner’ keeping the cards in
his pocket and shuffling them all day
long to honour his target of learning 10
new words a day. Needless to say, self-
training didn’t fail him.
So, how do CCs contribute? “They
are instrumental in providing guidance,
mentorship, benchmarking and time
28 careers 360 September 2009
“Hard work, being part
of a like-minded group
and studying from
quality reference
material is the
success-mantra”
Abhishek Sharma, 35
IIM-Indore, based in Delhi-NCR.
Sharma didn’t go for any coaching
management to students,” says Shiva.
But a few dissenting voices flag a differ-
ent argument.
Points to ponder
“I would question the quality of tutor-
ing carried out at quite a few coaching
centres,” says a candid Balakrishnan.
‘Most faculties have themselves not
been able to clear CAT, so imagine
what would they be teaching the stu-
dents?” Her caustic tone is laced with
concern.
Prashant Monga of Delhi- based Alche-
mist, a CAT training Institute, expresses
a similar concern. The logical subtleties

Rajesh Thakur/Outlook Group
get lost in the face of standardised coach-
ing, he feels. Monga abandoned a lucra-
tive corporate career in a bid to satiate
his craving for teaching. Alchemist, was
therefore, born in 2006. “The teach-
ing methodology followed in the centres
need a major overhaul,” says the IIT and
IIM graduate who experienced some
classroom teaching when he had to join
one on his parents’ insistence.
How is it possible that such a major
fundamental flaw in the pedagogy has
been overlooked by the institutes over
the years?
“At present, coaching centres impart
knowledge-based training, but the actu-
al need is for intelligence-based train-
ing,” stresses Monga. Intelligence-based
training can be applied in unfamiliar
problem-solving areas also, he adds.
“Why is it difficult for individuals to
think of a different-coloured dhoti?” one
could argue.
The logic feeds on self. The CAT ques-
tions don’t follow a template.
“Rote-learning doesn’t work for the
CAT. It may work for school exams or
exams conducted for other high-profile
TIPS ON CBT PREPARATION
Siddharth Balakrishna offers some sugges-
tions to candidates appearing for computer-
based CAT.
■■ Reading Comprehension (RC) passages are
likely to be shorter and the questions are
expected to be inference-based. Students
should get familiar with such types of
passages.
■■ Students take substantially more time
over the RC and Data Interpretation (DI)
sections in a computer-based exam. So
students should practise reading passages
or interpreting graphs and tables on a
computer screen.
■■ Students should try and improve on their
abilities to make mental calculations
rather than using the rough-sheet for
multiplications, find squares or cubes/cube
roots etc.
■■ Attempt first the simpler questions in the
Quant section without using pen and paper;
try and solve them in your mind. Make
approximations in the DI section.
■■ Being very thorough with the fundamentals
of the subject will be vital. Practise
sufficiently and choose the questions to
attempt carefully.
(The author is a visiting faculty with MBA
Guru. His book How to Prepare for MBA will be
released shortly)
bureaucratic postings,” says Ravi Son-
thalia, a 2009 IIM-Bangalore gradu-
ate.
“The CCs need to adopt a tutoring
technology that sharpens the think-
ing ability of an individual,” concurs
Balakrishnan. So, even when a student is
faced with a question he has never tack-
led before, his attempt speed doesn’t
decrease, she says.
Students should research
In most cases questions asked by stu-
dents are standard: on fees, timings,
number of classes, test series and on
reference material. Affordability of fees
is looked at, and convenience of com-
muting figures in the list.
“The students look at results claimed
by institutes,” says Shiva of Career
Launcher. Students hardly question or
investigate faculties’ academic back-
ground or even the teaching method.
Even in the classroom, some never ask
a question fearing being ridiculed at. “I
never asked a question,” concedes one
girl-student who took coaching from
T.I.M. E., at Delhi’s Kalkaji branch.
29 careers 360 September 2009
A. Guptay
“Select an institute
which has a national
base. Mixing with
candidates
from varied back-
grounds will help
in benchmarking”
Divya Nehlani, 20
Currently coaching from IMS, Mumbai.
Selected the centre looking at its history
and after interacting with the
ex-students who made it to IIMs
“All these point out that the entire
approach of students too needs a re-
visit,” says Balakrishnan. Probing ques-
tions should be asked in a bid to zero-in
on a good centre. And the adverts should
not be the sole factor guiding the admis-
sion decisions.
Divya Nehlani, currently taking coach-
ing at IMS Learning, Santacruz centre at
Mumbai says she opted for IMS Learn-
ing looking at the history of successful
candidates who were able to make it to
the IIMs. “I knew a few of them person-
ally,” says the 20-year-old.
The number of interview calls that an
institute gets does matter but it is differ-
ent from the actual conversion numbers,
i.e. number of students who actually
secure a seat. Remember, there are GDs
and interviews that need to be cleared to
qualify for a seat.
“A data of the last two or three years
would give an idea to the candidates
about the conversion rates,” says Jitin
Chawla, a Delhi-based career coun-
selor.
Don’t be surprised if a whole lot of
CCs circumvent this specific query and
ADVISORY SELECTING a COACHING CENTRE
“CAT is an
aptitude test and
the training
should be
focused on
honing of
thinking skills”
Ravi Sonthalia, 24
IIM-Bangalore, Delhi-based.
Ravi took coaching because
he didn’t want to risk his
chances
veer towards rattling about the number
of calls that their students got. And
usually, the figures flung around sound
impressive. However, it is imperative
that students should verify the two; the
number of interview calls that a student
receives from IIMs and the number of
students who clear the GD and Inter-
views to get the admission.
Sonthalia says he trusted his instincts
when it came to choosing Alchemist.
“I choose a non-household name trust-
ing my instincts after speaking to the
faculties,” says the 24-year-old. CAT is
an aptitude test and the training should
be focused on honing of thinking skills,
Sonthalia reiterates the thought. The
seemingly sharp youth, goes on to reveal
why he felt the need for an coaching
institute. “I didn’t want to risk my chanc-
es,” he confesses.
Operating with a cause
Disparate arguments apart, an unde-
niable fact is CCs are aware of their
reputation being hinged on successful
conversion numbers. Therefore, insti-
tutes waive off some fee amount and
offer discounts to meritorious students.
The waiver is also open to potentially
bright students from weaker sections of
the society. In a normal course, CCs’
fee ranges anywhere between Rs.20,
000-30,000 for the complete course to
as much as Rs.12,000 for short-term
courses. The discounts offered by vari-
ous tutorials are to the tune of 20 per
cent and above for meritorious students
as well. T.I.M.E has institutionalized the
process of tests, and depending on the
marks discounts are given. IMS Learn-
ing gives students discount from 20 per
cent which goes up to 80 per cent in cer-
tain cases. “Now we have also launched a
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
campaign recently,” says Kossambi.
While the tutoring institutes are doing
their bit to help the potential talent, the
other area where students now need aid
is CBT or Computer-based test. The
recent announcement of IIMs to switch
over to CBT has caused immense flurry
among the students.
Online Vs compter-based test
The format of CAT has changed now,
moving from traditional pen and paper
to Computer-Based Test. CBT requires
“Most faculties
themselves have
not been able to clear
CAT, so imagine
what would they
be teaching to the
students?”
Mythili Balakrishnan
Iim Graduate, based in Chennai
30 careers 360 September 2009
Arijit Sen
a new approach to crack the test. It is
not an online exam but merely a depar-
ture from the conventional format. “The
actual exam pattern or questions are
not expected to be very different from
the traditional CAT paper,” says Sid-
dharth Balakrishna, a visiting faculty at
MBAGuru, a CAT coaching centre. “It
is not difficult to acclimatize with the
new trend,” he adds (read Tips on CBT
Preparation). A visit at www.catiim.in
can address the other queries that stu-
dents have. The online CAT preparation
is contrary to the standard trend. Online
format system hasn’t picked up in true
form in India because of poor technol-
ogy and bad connectivity. But the stu-
dents can get low-cost online offering,
says Srini Krishnamurthi, managing
director, Expertus. Its an inexpensive
alternate and offers flexibility of tim-
ing. “For preparing online, students can
purchase online assessments and study
material,” says Krishnamurthi.
However, the moot question is: should
an individual join a CC or prepare on
his own? Well, if you are self-motivated,
self-disciplined, can criticize and analyse
your work impartially, you can crack the
CAT. The only other crteria are knowing
the technique of approaching the ques-
tions and forming a compatible group to
assess the performance routinely. But if
you are lacking in any of the parameters,
its best to enroll in one.
But remember, belling the CAT is
ultimately in your hands.
Cracking US Admissions

by Divya Cherian

T
he mere thought of applying to
US universities for MA-PhD
programmes is enough to send
a shiver down the spine of the
average student. Like any other intimi-
dating and complex task, US graduate
school applications too can be success-
fully executed if one clearly identifies
the different steps that constitute the
process.

Where to apply
The first stage of the application pro-
cess ought to be shortlisting universi-
ties to apply to.
●● Identify your research interest: Since
you are applying to a graduate school,
you will be expected to have an idea of
what research you plan to undertake as
a PhD student. On the basis of your BA
and MA studies in India, you may have
identified certain topics or broad areas
that stimulate your interest and that you
feel have not been sufficiently studied by
existing researchers.
●● Once you have an idea of what you
want to work on, read up on that topic
if you haven’t done so already. You will
then be able to see which of the schol-
ars’ research interests or methodology
appeal to you. Find out the universities
where those scholars teach. This is one
way to shortlist universities. The other

Getting into
is to go to the websites of universities
and departments that you are aware of.
Check out the list of faculty members
and see if their stated research interests
match with yours.

the US college
●● Shortlist, in this way, between 5-10
universities.
●● It is most tactical to select a few top-
ranked universities, a few mid-ranked
universities and a few low-ranked uni-
versities – the latter two depend on

you crave for

how keen you are to go to the States to
study. So, if you would like to shift to the
US only if you get to a top-ranked uni-
versity or the professor of your choice,
then there is no harm in applying only
to institutions which are harder to get
admission into.
●● The earlier you start surveying uni-
versity websites, the better. Try to begin Applying to universities in the US for an admission
this process at most by August of the to your college or subject of choice may appear a
year in which you apply, if not earlier.
●● Email any queries that you have
daunting task. A structured approach makes it easy

32 careers 360 September 2009


The Chapel invariablly acts as the meeting point
for students in any foreign university
about the admission process to the staff
members designated on the website,
such as admissions coordinators and
the like. Do not contact professors with
queries about the admission process.
Qualifying for exams
The Graduate Record Examination
(GRE) and the Test of English as a
Spoken Language (TOEFL) are the two
different exams conducted by the Edu-
cational Testing Service (ETS).
●● Log on to www.ets.org and read up on
the GRE and TOEFL exams.
●● Select a time and venue for taking
each of the two exams from the list on
the website.
●● Make sure that there is at least 6-8
weeks for you to prepare for the GRE.
●● Register for the exam online on www.
ets.org. The process of online registration
is easy and quick but requires a credit
card or access to a credit card (such as
that of your parent or a friend whom you
can repay in cash if you don’t have your
own credit card).
●● In case you don’t have access to a
credit card, don’t worry. You can pay
through a money order and can down-
load the appropriate form from the sec-
tion that offers details about the GRE
for test-takers on www.ets.org.
●● Also, don’t take the GRE after mid-
November if you are planning to apply
that very year.
●● Set aside 2-3 hours every day in order
to study for the GRE. The syllabus for
the GRE covers class X level maths and
has a fixed list of word meanings to be
mastered for the verbal section. Apart
from this basic syllabus, the key to doing
well in the GRE is doing as many prac-
tice tests as you can.
●● GRE preparation books such as Bar-
ron, Princeton Review and Kaplan are
33 careers 360 September 2009
Checklist to get through
l Educational qualifications: You need
to have completed at least 16 years of
education, that is, 3 years of BA and at
least 1 year of a post-graduate degree
(such as MA).
l A valid passport: You will need this to
even take the GRE and TOEFL exams.
l Access to the internet: While this is
not essential, it will make your life
much easier.
l Access to a credit card or a credit card
of your own: Again, this is not essential
but will make registration for the GRE
and TOEFL exams much easier. It will also
enable online submission of application
forms to universities.
l Make sure you have all your documents
ready. If not, start the process of gathering
all your originals as soon as possible.
l Financial expenditure: About Rs. 50,000-
60,000 is the amount you will spend on
applying to around 7-8 universities. You can
minimise the cost by being organised and
by sending your applications by registered
post instead of courier. Also, if you can
name four universities to which you want
your scores sent at the time of taking the
GRE and TOEFL exams, these will be sent
for free. You can thus save a few thousand
rupees by knowing this in advance.
l Time: About 3-4 hours everyday are suf-
ficient. The months of September through
December are crucial. University deadlines
begin from December 1 and can go up to
mid-January for different universities.
available in bookstores. Choose any one
of these books and study it entirely.
●● Also, purchase the Tenth Edition of
Practicing to Take the GRE General
Test published by ETS. This is also easily
available in bookstores. Cover this book
well. Download GRE Powerprep soft-
ware from the ETS website and make
full use of the free resources offered on
this website.
●● Take plenty of practice tests. You will
get a CD containing computer-based
practice tests along with any GRE
preparation book. There are also paper-
based practice tests in the ETS Tenth
Edition. You must practice every single
test in the book. Be sure to time yourself
while taking the practice tests.
●● Practice the essay portion (analyti-
cal writing) of the exam by randomly
selecting a topic from the lists on the
ETS website and then writing the essays
within the specified time limit. Guide-
lines on how the essays will be graded
Cracking US Admissions

are in the ETS Tenth Edition book.

Timeline
September
l Schedule an exam date for the GRE and TOEFL
respectively. Make this no earlier than
6 weeks from when you register and no later
than late-November.
l Start studying for the GRE. 2-3 hours daily are
sufficient.
l Start surveying universities, departments and
professors online. 1 hour a day is enough.
l Apply for a passport. Make sure you will have
it before your GRE exam date.
October
l Keep studying for the GRE. Increase frequency
of practice tests. 3-4 hours a day.
l Keep surveying universities. Start shortlisting.
1 hour a day.
l Start work on your statement of purpose and
writing sample. Complete the first draft of each
by the end of this month. 4 hours a week.
l Ask teachers (or others) for recommenda-
tions. Make sure that you have at least three
referees. Give them the first draft of your SoP.
Also give them a printout of the form that each
department expects referees to fill out.
November
l Keep up the GRE preparation and now, start
revising. Keep taking tests and make sure you
time them and grade them honestly. 3-4 hours
a day, perhaps a little more on weekends.
l Practise GRE analytical writing essays. Time
this as well. 2 hours a week.
l Finalise universities based on your research.
Email professors in departments if the deadline
is in December. 30 minutes a day.
l Revise, re-read and polish your SoP and
writing sample(s). 30 minutes a day.
l In early November, start collecting transcripts
from your BA and MA institutions.
l Collect your sealed letters of recommendation
if you plan to send them in paper form.
●● 6 weeks are enough to cover the syl-
labus well and to practise enough tests.
Take at least 2 computer-based tests a
week and as many paper-based tests as
you can lay your hands on. Start practis-
ing even before you have completed the
syllabus.
●● In order to prepare for the TOEFL,
access the materials on the ETS website.
You need between a day and ten days to
prepare for the TOEFL, depending on
how your English grammar is. Do not go
for the exam without preparing at least
for a day and being fully aware of the
format of the exam.
●● On the day of the GRE and TOEFL
tests, if you can enter at the start of each
test the names of up to four universities
to which you intend to apply, the ETS
will send your scores to these universi-
ties for free. This will save you $80.
●● To send your scores to universities,
you have to pay an additional cost of $20
each time to the ETS. Make sure that
you send in your score at least a week
before the application deadline, so that
it reaches the university in time.
How to apply Missouri Univeristy is one of the largest public
●● Once you have identified the depart- research universities in US.
ments and professors that interest you,
email the professors whom you think Lastly, there may be no reply from the
might be interested in the research you professor in which case you should only
plan to undertake as a PhD student. This apply to that university if you really want
you should do around 2-3 weeks before to study there or if you are very keen on
the deadline. working with that professor.
●● In the email, write VERY briefly ●● If the professor does reply to you, do

l Take the GRE and the TOEFL.
December and/or January
l Finalise your SoP and writing sample.
3-4 hours a day.
l Send GRE and TOEFL scores to the universi-
ties not included in the original list of four.
l Start and complete your online application
(you can do this in more than one sitting).
Or download and fill your paper application.
l Put together all the components of your
application and mail them well in time.
l Make sure that your referees receive the link
by email. This can be done when you start filling
out the university’s application online.
l Make sure that your application is complete
and has been received in its entirety.
March-April:
By March-end, at the latest, you should know
where you have been admitted and where not.
what you are currently doing (in one
sentence), your academic qualifications
(also one sentence), what particular
research questions you want to exam-
ine and why you would like to work
with them. In sum, this email should not
exceed 3 short paragraphs. The shorter
the better.
●● Be polite and to-the-point in such
correspondence. Do not be overly flat-
tering or wordy and at the same time, do
not be boastful about yourself.
●● The professor may reply and encour-
age you to apply to the PhD programme.
Conversely, the professor may reply and
discourage you from applying because
his/her research interest may not match
yours. In this case, you should not apply
to that department unless another pro-
fessor in it encourages you to apply.
not needlessly contact the professor or
ask him/her questions about the admis-
sion process.
THE APPLICATION
GRE and TOEFL scores
Remember, GRE and TOEFEL scores
are only one component of your applica-
tion and it is easy to get overwhelmed by
preparation for these exams. However,
it is important to keep in mind that these
scores are not the ultimate determinant
of the success of your application. As, if
not more, important are the other com-
ponents of your application. They are,
the statement of purpose (henceforth,
SoP), writing sample, curriculum vitiae
(cv), transcripts of your marks and rec-
ommendations from teachers or other
relevant people.

34 careers 360 September 2009


Statement of Purpose (SoP):
Start working on this latest by late Octo-
ber. Stay within the word limit specified
by the department to which you are
applying. State briefly and clearly what
you want to work on, why you want to
work on it, how you will do it (i.e. what
particular place or archive or data you
will examine), what is the relevance of
your proposed research to your disci-
pline and what relevant qualifications
you have to pursue your research (such
as language skills or technical training
or prior research experience).
Writing sample(s)
Again, start work on this by late Octo-
ber. Applications for an MA-PhD in the
social sciences require one (or some-
times two) sample of your academic
writing. This essay may be something
you have already written in the course
of your MA or may be something that
you write afresh for the application. Be
sure that it is what you consider the best
example of your academic abilities. If
the sample has nothing to do with the
topic on which you are proposing to
work, that is alright. In this case as well,
Tips
l Respect deadlines.
l Consult anyone and everyone you can: Speak
to friends and seniors. Turn to siblings, parents
and cousins. Ask your teachers for advice – give
them your writing sample and statement of
purpose and ask for their comments and sug-
gestions.
l When looking at prospective departments, do
not be rigid about disciplinary boundaries. For
instance, if you are a student of political science,
you should also consider history, anthropology
and sociology departments in which you may
find professors and courses that match exactly
your own research interests.
l Make lists and folders. Be organised.
l The internet is your window to the world; use
it to look at universities, to clear doubts about
the process and to study for the GRE etc.
do not exceed the specified page limit.
Letters of recommendation
Make sure that you inform your referees
(that is, those who will write letters in
support of your application) at least 6-8
weeks prior to your application deadline.
While choosing your referees, choose
those teachers or employers or academ-
ics who know you well as a student and
who will be able to reflect upon your
abilities as a writer, thinker, speaker and
person. You should offer a brief overview
of your proposed research to your refer-
ees so that they are familiar with what
you want to study and can incorporate it
in their letters. Most universities require
three letters of recommendation.
Curriculam Vitiae
Your CV should contain basic informa-
tion such as your date of birth, your
marks (class XII, BA, MA etc), edu-
cational institutions attended, degrees
earned, scholarships/fellowships/
grants, prizes/awards, work experience,
research experience, publications, extra-
curricular interests and achievements –
whichever of these you may have.
Transcripts
Transcripts of your marks containing
a detailed break up of the marks you
earned in each paper in the course of
your BA, MA (and MPhil, if applicable)
and the exact title of each course you
took are required. Usually two copies
of each transcript are required for each
university. Make sure the transcripts are
35 careers 360 September 2009
signed, stamped and sealed in envelopes
before you send them with your applica-
tion. Start this process by mid-October
since it can often be tied up in red-
tapism and bureaucratic paperwork.
Application form:
Each department to which you apply
will have a link to its online application.
Fill out each of the sections in the online
form and pay the fees online through
a credit card when your application is
complete. Send the paper components
(usually the writing sample, transcripts
and cv, and sometimes the SoP too) of
your application through mail or courier
to the address stated on the department
website. Letters of recommendation can
now be submitted online by your refer-
ees. If you prefer to take them all in one
go from each referee, you can send in
paper copies in sealed envelopes.
●● In case you do not have access to a
credit card, you can download the appli-
cation form, fill it out on paper and pay
through money order. Be sure to mail
the application at least 2 weeks before
the deadline and keep a photocopy of the
final application for your own records.
●● Send your GRE and TOEFL scores
to the department through the ETS.
●● Make sure your application and its
various components reach the depart-
ment by the stated deadline, so mail/
courier them well in time.
●● You should receive an email confirm-
ing the receipt of your online application
and later, an email confirming that your
application is complete. Make sure to
track whether each of your applications
are complete so that you can re-send
those components of your application
that may get lost in transit.
So, between the months of September
and December you can easily accom-
plish the various tasks that make up a US
grad school application. Break it down
into each of the steps described above
and then, tackle each step at the appro-
priate time. With this approach, you will
be in control of the situation and not
the other way around. Graduate school
applications need not consume your
entire life and can easily be executed
well by putting in 3-4 hours a day.
Divya Cherian is pursuing her PhD
at Columbia Univerisity, NY
Careers and Courses Executive education

Take a break from work

Working professionals are quitting work to go back to college hoping it will improve their

by Sumita Vaid Dixit

R
upesh Bisht’s career had been
moving on a steady pace but
that wasn’t enough. There was
always a feeling of wanting to
move faster in life, to do better. “I want-
ed to jump to the next orbit,” he says. At
many points in his career he met people
who had done their management pro-
grammes from reputed institutes draw-
ing more and with a better portfolio
when he had more years of experience.
The disparity was not because he wasn’t
a good performer; he was always a good
worker, but it was because he had started
from scratch as a frontline sales person,
while the management degree holders
usually got a head start as management
trainees. That made all the difference. “I
realised that I had to bridge the gap.”
Rupesh started working straight after
his postgraduate diploma in manage-
ment from an institute in Meerut. “I
didn’t know much about rankings, then.”
His first job was with Gujarat Ambuja
Cements, where he was part of the sales

The number of professionals taking a break from work to study is on the rise

management. He got a good break with he wanted to do a course he could fin-

Titan Industries as a sales officer. He
oversaw the distribution network of
Sonata in western Uttar Pradesh and
Uttarakhand. After three years, he was
given the task of setting up the sales and
distribution network in Rajasthan.
It was an enormous responsibility – the
challenges helped him grow, however
his profile did not change substantially.
“If I had to reach the When he joined ICICI Lombard he felt
CFO, CEO, COO that it was time he considered doing an
MBA from a good institute. “I was also
level I had to act fast” getting married then, I had responsibili-
Rupesh Bisht ties and if I had to reach the CFO, CEO,
Integrated Sales Head, COO level I had to act fast.”
BigFM, Delhi Going to the United States was his
first choice, but since he got married
ish in one year. The UK also seemed
a good option, but the cost of living
was high. Studying in India was another
option. The choice was between Indi-
an School of Business (ISB) or IIM.
Rupesh got through ISB. Applying to
business schools took a year but when
he finally arrived at the ISB campus he
was relieved.
“It’s a big risk leaving a job, after all.
And when one leaves the security of a
job not knowing what the future has in
store, it can be a little unnerving.” But
there was no doubt that the course will
improve his prospects considerably.
“Salaries are a good indication of the
benefits of doing a management course.

36 careers 360 September 2009

for better prospects
profile, open new doors and of course higher salaries…
Outlook Group
Remunerations go up from anywhere
between 50 to 250 per cent,” says
Rupesh who got placed with Big FM
straight after doing a postgraduate pro-
gramme in management from ISB.
He is the integrated sales head for
Delhi. His current profile is concept
selling to top corporates in the coun-
try, providing brand solutions for both
above-the-line and below-the-line. “The
profile is very exciting and gives me tre-
mendous exposure.”
But what has really changed in the
course of the one year study is his
approach to issues. “Now, I look at issues,
problems from a different perspective,
and that makes all the difference.”
It was seeking this kind of difference
that Chetna Khanna quit afaqs!, online
media company, to enrol in a two-year,
full-time management programme at
Management Development Institute
(MDI), Gurgaon (Haryana).
When she joined work she had no
specific plans, no five-years-from-now
approach. “To be honest, I was a little
clueless.” She was part of the sales and
marketing division. As she found out
more about the online medium, she
began enjoying her work. “I did every-
thing under the sun, from promoting the
medium to ideating on the ad campaigns
to following up on business proposals.”
This kind of work exposed her to the
corporate world and the way things
functioned. And soon from a marketing
executive she became assistant manag-
er, sales and marketing. “That was very
encouraging because there was always a
nagging thought that I was a plain gradu-
ate with no higher qualification.”
But on occasions when she interacted
with clients, she felt the need for refining
her methods of dealing and approaching
matters. “For one, I never paid attention
to what I wore.” And now when she looks
back, as the head, sales and marketing,
afaqs! and The Brand Reporter, Mum-
bai, she reflects: “I was a bit carefree
about many things, back then.”
Chetna describes her time at MDI
as the best time of her life. Suddenly,
she became aware of many things. “For
example, the very art of a written com-
munication, which is critical in any busi-
ness, has to be approached in a certain
manner. There are key words that can
make or break a communication,” she
says as she replies to a mail on phone
On the whole, Chetna says she’s more
confident in dealing with senior people in
large organisations. Now, Chetna heads
an entire team in Mumbai and for most
part she’s mentoring people and ideating
on projects. However, the unusual thing
is that after the completion of her man-
agement course, she decided to go back
to the same organisation.
37 careers 360 September 2009
“We have students com-
ing in with pay packages
of Rs. 5 lakh and joining
back the work force with
salaries at Rs. 12.5 lakh
per annum”
V K Menon,
Senior Director Admissions
& Financial Aid and Career
Advancement Services, ISB
T he number of professionals taking a break
from work to study is definitely on the rise.
These professionals seek exposure in specific
areas; they are aware of their weakness and
come to the school to address it.
As a practice, the faculty writes to the candi-
dates and asks them to spell out their expec-
tations from the course. When the faculty
meets the students in person they do a 360
degree appraisal and develop a leadership
programme accordingly. Ultimately the goal
is transformation and that’s what we work
towards.
Because our students have to have at least
two years of work experience, the faculty is a
mix of both resident and visiting. The visiting
faculty are specialists from all over the world
and hence bring in the newest management
concepts to the students.
But we make sure we make the class as
diverse as possible. So one would be a doctor,
one a CA, another an engineer, one a scuba
diver. Life is like that, there are people of all
kinds in a company. And we give the team a
common task and they have to come up with
one solution. This trains them in conflict man-
agement and improves their decision making.
And when these students pass out, they
instantly see the advantage of studying fur-
ther. We have students coming in with pay
packages of Rs. 5 lakh and joining back the
work force with salaries at Rs. 12.5 lakh per
annum. More importantly, they leave as more
confident professionals.
Careers and Courses Executive education

Courses for working professionals

A. Guptay
Institution Location Name of programme Duration Who qualifies
(months)
LIBA Chennai International Business 12 Working professionals who wish
to enhance their skills in their
chosen profession
Symbiosis Hinjewadi, Postgraduate 12 Executives already working in
(SCMHRD) Pune Diploma in Finance Finance/Accounting function
LIBA Chennai Banking Management 12 Working professionals who wish
to enhance their skills in their
chosen profession
LIBA Chennai Financial Management 12 Working professionals who wish
to enhance their skills in their “I am more
IIM-B Bangalore Certificate Prog. in 12
chosen profession
Exec in Banks & Financial
confident in dealing
Advanced Financial Institutions/Software cos. In finan- with senior people in
Risk Management cial verticals
IIM-L Noida International Pro- 12 Mid/senior level professionals with
large organisations”
campus gramme in Manage- min 6 years experience to prepare Chetna Khanna
ment for Executives them for leadership roles
Head, Sales and
IIM-I Indore One Year Executive 12 For senior management positions; Marketing, afaqs!
Post Graduate exec./entrepreneurs min. 5 yrs
Programme in managerial/ entrepreneurial/
Management professional experience.
Residential. Full-time “Well, I had a couple of plum offers
IIM-A Ahmedabad PGP in Management 12 Exec with substantial work exp. from FMCG companies. I cracked the
for Executives first round of P&G (10 amongst some
ICFAI (IBS) Hyderabad Executive PG program 12 Executives with more than three 100 plus students).” But she did not
years of work experience pursue her application after that. “There
NMIMS Bangalore Executive Post 15 Working exec with min 5 yrs exp was a comfort level with afaqs! And
Graduate Diploma wanting to get equipped with I know I can grow faster there!”
in Business critical thinking & decision making
Management abilities & attain top mgt positions
Vishal Sampat had started his career
as a journalist and often ended up doing
IMT Ghaziabad Post Graduate 15 Working executives with work exp
Diploma in Manage- of min. 5 yrs at executive/manage- a lot of research work for his stories,
ment (Executive) rial level “more than what I should have,” he
IMI New Delhi Executive Post 15 Exec with 5 yrs or more work exp says laughing. In the course of his two
Graduate Diploma having the potential to be leaders years of journalism, Vishal wrote many
in Management and shapers of their org in cover stories, reviewed ad campaigns
international business
and media innovations, interacted with
TA Pai MI Manipal Global MBA 18 Full-time working professionals the top-notch people in the advertis-
programme min for 2 years; Bachelor’s in
(Germany, India, USA) engineering, commerce, business
ing and the media industry. “I enjoyed
administration or science every moment of it, and since I had
MDI Gurgaon National Management 18 Class I officer/self-sponsored with
just started out, meeting senior people,
Programme min. 5 years of executive work veterans in the industry, gave me tre-
experience mendous exposure.”
IIM-I Indore Executive Post- 18 Exec./entrepreneurs min. 5 yrs Even though journalism gave him
Graduate Programme managerial/ entrepreneurial/ exposure to the advertising industry –
(EXE-PGP) professional experience
which he’s passionate about – he felt
NMIMS Bangalore Management 20 Middle-mgt exec with 5 yrs exp the need to upgrade his qualifications.
Programme for willing to take a one-year break
Executives
He came into journalism after doing a
Bachelor’s in Business Management.
S P Jain Mumbai Executive Manage- 21 Working professionals with 5 yrs
ment Programme work experience after graduation
“I had always wanted to be associated
with the advertising industry but writ-
NMIMS Mumbai Post Graduate 22 Working Executives with minimum
Diploma in Business three years of Work experience in
ing about the industry as a journalist
Mgt for Executives exec capacity interested me more at that point.” But he
VGSOM-IIT Kharagpur Post Graduate 24 Working executive with minimum
missed the operational side of working
KGP Diploma in Business two years of work experience with in the advertising industry. Besides, it
Administration engg/MSc/MCom/MCA/AMIE etc. was time he brushed up his management
(part-time)
concepts, and confronted his weakness.

38 careers 360 September 2009

Courses for working professionals

A. Guptay
Institution Location Name of programme Duration Who qualifies
(months)
TA Pai MI Manipal Executive PGDM 24 Graduates in any discipline with
programme a minimum of two years of work
experience
S P Jain Dubai Executive Business 24 Working executives with full
Administrative time work exp of min. 3 yrs
Management
S P Jain Singapore Executive Business 24 Working executives with full
Administrative time work exp of min. 2 yrs “I definitely make
Management
decisions faster
LIBA Chennai Human Resource 12 Working professionals who wish
Management to enhance their skills in their because I am more
chosen profession
XLRI Jamshedpur Executive Diploma in 16 Minimum of 5 years of post
confident ”
Human Resource degree full time work experience Vishal Sampat
Management in managerial positions.
Research Executive, Millward Brown
NMIMS Mumbai Post Graduate Diploma 22 Min. 3 years work exp preferably in Market Research Service
in Human Resources area of HR in an executive capacity
for Executives PGDHR)
TISS Mumbai Diploma in Personnel 24 Exec with 3 years exp in manage-
management rial or supervisory category, pref- got to know about the latest concepts in
(part-time) erably in personnel/administration international marketing. “I didn’t have
LIBA Chennai Logistics and Supply 12 Suited for supervisors junior the time to brush up when I was work-
Chain Management level executives and middle level ing. I was just too busy working.”
managers But what he was being taught he could
Welingkar IM Mumbai Diploma in Retail 12 Working executives with work immediately connect it to his work expe-
Management experience of minimum. 2 years riences. “I understood better.” He’s of
the view that an MBA or an MCA should
S P Jain Dubai Professional Diploma 12 Marketers with op. responsibili-
in Marketing ties and an eye on management
be done only after having acquired two
incl. dept mgrs/, product/ brand or three years of work experience. “It’s
mgrs/mktg/account mgrs/bus. pointless otherwise.”
Dev mgrs
Vishal got placed with Synovate, a
LIBA Chennai Marketing 12 Working professionals who wish market research company that came
Management to enhance their skills in their
chosen profession
to his institute on campus placement.
There was a slight change in his career
LIBA Chennai Retail Management 12 Working professionals who wish
to enhance their skills in their
track, although he continued to focus on
chosen profession advertising, he felt the need to research
TISS Mumbai Diploma in Hospital 12 Exec with min 3 yrs exp who wish
as it was one of the most technical parts
Administration to take up hospital administration of a brand manager’s job.
(Evening) at senior and middle levels The first physical sign of doing a higher
TISS Mumbai Advance Certificate 12 Master’s in Social Work with min degree was the package. “It went up
in Social Welfare 3 years exp/Bachelor’s in Social considerably.” “Now you don’t expect
Administration Work with min. 5 years exp in
the field of development
me to share that with you,” he quips.
administration But he puts his growth in perspective.
IIM-C Kolkata PGPX-VLM prog 12 Manufacturing programme
“If I had continued working, I would not
have had the jump in my career as I have
now by doing a postgraduate degree.”
“Finance and accounts were my weak Vishal got through a two-year, full- Some months back he changed his job.
points,” he says. Something he realised time MBA course at the Indian Edu- He’s now with Millward Brown, market-
when he interacted with media planners cation Society’s Management College ing research company that specialises in
and buyers for his articles. “I felt that and Research Centre (IES MCRC) in advertising and brands. Besides moving
it was a drawback as a journalist not to Mumbai. He cleared the Maharashtra up the ladder faster, doing a course after
know about numbers.” Though Vishal Common Entrance Test. some years of work experience gives
had dabbled with the idea of doing a part- When he was back in the classroom you a lot of confidence. “It is difficult
time executive management programme, he realised that there was so much that to articulate how, but I definitely make
he strongly felt that it was time to go back was happening around the world and decisions faster and that is because I am
to school as a full-time student. he needed a lot of catching up to do. He more confident about myself.”

39 careers 360 September 2009

Advisory hunting jobs
by Team Careers360
A
nita Sharma, a corporate com-
munications manager, followed
the normal route of applying to
job consultants, putting her CV
on job sites, following up with recruit-
ing agents. When a month’s follow-up
didn’t yield results an acquaintance on
Facebook happened to suggest social
networking sites. Well, as it turned out,
Anita got an interview call after posting
her résumé on one such site.
Popular social networking sites
such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook
and brijj.com are emerging as favou-
rite haunts of HR professionals and
recruiting agencies.
Getting linked
LinkedIn is a business-oriented social
networking website with executives
from Fortune 500 companies as mem-
bers. For international postings, this is
a great site.
Much of the information for the pro-
file’s page could be culled out from the
résumé. As many recruiters use Linke-
dIn to find people, do put in key search-
words related to your industry in your
profile. LinkedIn provides a link to your
profile page which can be sent along
with job applications.
Once your profile is set, send out invi-
tations to connect with everyone in your
e-mail address book, and search for old
colleagues, classmates and friends. Go
through profiles of your connections.
If someone is part of the industry you
are interested then ask for openings and
e-mail introductions if they know some-
one who could help.
Recommendation is part of the pro-
file’s page and a great way to get pro-
spective employers interested in you.
Solid recommendations from a former
boss, senior colleague, clients, anyone
with whom you have had a good working
relation can greatly enhance chances of
your employability.
As it’s always good to be known by
as many as possible, join groups that
interest you.
Update yourself on Facebook
Though this is more social than Linke-
dIn and Twitter, it is equally good for
networking.
Social networks
HR managers frequent social networking sites like
LinkedIn and Twitter to find suitable candidates
Its ‘Status Update’ feature can be
exploited to tell people that you are
looking for a job. So instead of saying
that ‘I have bought a new phone’, you
could say ‘I am looking for an opening
in media’. And there are strong chances
that someone will respond with a lead.
Tweeting your job search
The good part about Twitter is that it
takes only 140 characters, so you will be
forced to use precise words to describe
your skills and profiles, and these words
can double-up as key search-words.
Another feature on Twitter is that
you can read up about what employ-
ees and customers have to say about a
company you might be keen on apply-
ing to. This can help you form an idea
about the company’s work culture. Also,
some companies post their job open-
ings on Twitter; so it’s a big incentive to
be on Twitter. And, of course, you can
use TweetMyJobs to search by specific
industry or key word.
40 careers 360 September 2009
Network here
LinkedIn
Provides a link to the
profile page which can
be sent along with job
applications.
Facebook
Use ‘Status Update’
to tell people you are
looking for an opening.
Twitter
TweetMyJobs helps
search by specific
industry or key word.
Illustation: Gouri Nanda
Brijj.com
Exploit ‘Groups’ to net-
work with people from
different industries.
Bridging your networks
Brijj.com is an Indian professional net-
working site run by naukri.com. The
advantage of this site is people here
come solely with the intention of some
serious business networking. Based
on the information furnished in your
profile, brijj.com matches profiles and
prompts names of people you might
have worked and studied with.
Also, there are groups such as ‘sales
training and methods’ and ‘effective
presentation skills’ where people can
join, upgrade their skills and, of course,
spread the word if you are looking for
an opening.
Just a word of caution
While social networking sites are great
tools to showcase your skills and profes-
sional experience, they are also places
where everything about you is in the
public domain. So, avoid putting up a
comment that is likely to upset a recruit-
er or an HR professional.
 SHEKHAR GUPTA

“I am among the HMTs:

Shekhar Gupta, who heads The Indian Express Group, is one of the most recognisable
faces of Indian media. His entry into journalism happned by chance. It showed him
an alternative that was more attractive than botany. The assiduous journalist, whose
life took a definitive turn while covering northeast insurgency, feels that education
is a specalised area and media is on a learning curve when it comes to covering this
sector. Excerpts from an interview with Urmila Rao, in which he gives glimpses of
his modest schooling and shares his opinion on the reform measures that can be
adopted by the sector.

Q: Do you feel that the aspirations
and hopes of today’s youth are mark-
edly different from that of your col-
lege days?
A: Yes, of course. In my time or even
till 15 years back, the primary job pro-
vider was the government. So a majority
did NDA (National Defence Academy),
IMA (India Military Academy) or gave
Bank Probationary Officers’ exam,
studied for IAS (Indian Administra-
tive Service) etc. Now job prospects are
enormously more. At the same time, the
number of people seeking jobs has also
increased because a lot more are getting
educated. So the demand of professional
education or specalised education has
risen very rapidly.
Q: What did you study?
A: When I went to college in the mid
’70s, we had no choice (of courses). Sci-
ence was the first preference. If you were
not good enough for biology, then you
did engineering. Those days engineer-
ing jobs were only in the government
sector. So, I was forced to study biol-
ogy. Not that I had great interest in it.
I enjoyed some of it but I don’t think
I would have made a great doctor or even
a good doctor. In any case, I didn’t have
the patience to study seven more years
after graduation in biology, in which
I got very good marks.
Q: In that case how did you get into
journalism?
A: Quite providentially. I had gone to
Punjab University with which my col-
lege was affiliated to, to get the spelling
of my name corrected on the mark sheet.
My name had an additional “i”, so the
name was ‘Sheikhar’. There I spotted
a little notice on admission tests for a
journalism course. So I just filled the
form and sat for it and got selected.
Q: How was it studying in school?
A: I went to many schools but below
ordinary schools. My father was in the
Punjab government. He was an honest
government employee and so he used
to get transferred every few months. So
my schooling happened in cities that
were punishment postings in the ’60s.
I studied in places like Palwal, Bhat-
inda, Sirsa and Rohtak. Most schools
had no rooms. Most of the year, classes
were held under trees. Blackboards were
kept on props. And these were all Hindi
medium schools. I call myself among the Q: A lot of students base their admis-
HMTs- ‘Hindi Medium Types’. sion decisions believing the claims
made in adverts appearing in respon-
Q: Why is it that media doesn’t pur- sible media. Should the media run
sue education-related stories with such misleading adverts?
much vigour? A; I think everybody is on a learning
A: I think it is a new field for the media. curve. There is a lot of exaggerated
It is like about 25 years ago, it didn’t claim. That is also because we never
know how to cover business and eco- allowed the private sector to develop
nomics. TN Ninan of ‘India Today’ had in the proper way. A lot of people have
covered a story on how London-based grown in the sideways manner by cutting
businessman Swaraj Paul mounted a corners. Education sector needs most
takeover bid on Escorts and DCM. Its of all, a very good regulation. Students
coverage style redefined the way busi- should verify the colleges, the placement
ness was covered in the Indian media. records. Don’t just spend your money to
I think something similar has to hap- get a degree.
pen with covering of education which
is a specialised business. Right now the Q: What role can media play in bid to
only coverage is on politics of educa- reform the education system?
tion and policies. There is a lot of adver- A: I think media now has to start cover-
tising from education business and ing education business as they would
so it has acquired a certain degree of cover almost as seriously as health-relat-
clout in the media. But it will be sorted ed issues. Education concerns all three
out soon. generations of people. We are trying and

42 careers 360 September 2009

Hindi Medium Types”
Q: When you did your show ‘Walk the
Talk’ on NDTV with Mr. Kapil Sibal,
“There is a lot of the HRD minister, what sense did you
advertising from derive after the conversation?
A: There are very good intentions. But
education business to get something done in the government
and so it has system, you have to back the intentions
acquired a certain with a lot of skill; skill of manoeuvring
with the political system, bureaucratic
degree of clout in the system, public opinion. All that now
remains to be done. It can’t be done in
media. But it will be the government sector neglecting the
sorted out soon” private sector and foreign institutions.
And the change should take place in a
systematic manner with proper regula-
tion so that fly-by-night act could be
“My schooling stopped.

happened in cities that Q: What is your take on the rankings

doing that in our paper as well.
Q: Allow me to ask you a personal
question. If you had access to upscale
schools do you think your life would
have been any different?
A: Well, I don’t know. But certainly
some of things would have come eas-
ier. You just have to work extra hard
for everything. A sense of proving is
there. But at the same time when you go
through hard schooling in countryside,
it also hardens you a great deal and gives
you a thick skin which is very important
in this line. If you go back to ’60s and
mid ’70s, there was no internet, mobile
phones or trunk calls. So there was dis-
advantage not only in going to very basic
schools, but also the disadvantage of
being in small towns.
Q: It is alleged that marketing and
not editorial has a greater role to play
as far as education-related stories are
were punishment
postings in the ’60s.
I studied in Palwal,
Bhatinda, Sirsa
and Rohtak”
concerned. Is it true?
A: In ‘The Express Group’ there is no
such issue. I think also in most papers,
if a reporter came out with a really bril-
liant story which is adverse to the insti-
tution, the paper will publish it even if
the institution is a big advertiser. I think
it is really difficult to stop a big story.
I feel journalists have to acquire better
competence in this area.
Q: What would you like to highlight
in your paper?
A: We will fight for better quality
and more quantity. The big problem
in India is the quantity; there is mas-
sive undersupply (of educational insti-
tutions). We must first address the
under-supply. A regulator can be set
up in one week. Where is the problem
with that? There should be a good
professional, committed regulator for
education. Let the thousand flowers
bloom!
done by various publications and the
electronic media?
A: These things have to be done fairly
and there is a scientific way of doing it.
I don’t think all the rankings that you
see in India are fixed. But some do look
sponsored. I can assure you that when
we do it, no sponsors who are advertis-
ing will have anything to do with it.
Q: Your one advice to the minister
with regard to education reform?
A: Don’t delay change. That longer the
change is delayed, the more resistance
develops in the system. Now everyone
pretty much knows his mind. So all the
vested interests and rent-seekers who
do not want change will now be working
very hard, blocking change.
Q: Every one has a defining moment
that changes the entire course of life.
What was yours?
A: Going to the northeast. In January
’81 I went there at the height of trou-
ble. Like every journalist has to pay his
dues doing something, I paid mine cov-
ering the northeast assignment. It gave
me exposure and brought about a quan-
tum change in the quality of work that
I was doing.
Read the full interview at
www.careers360.com

43 careers 360 September 2009

In depth psychology

“Listen,
I’m not a mind
reader, I am a
psychologist!”
Want to be a psychologist? Read on to understand
the field of psychology, courses, training, institutions,
personality traits and future prospects

Fast Fact
Best schools: NIMHANS, TISS, University of Delhi, Allahabad University and IIT’s
Qualifications: Depends on the level of study, BA, MA, MPhil, and PhD programme
Our advice: Interesting subject but takes time to settle down in the profession
Career avenues: Academics, research, corporate, NGOs, development, disaster
management, crisis management and training

by Bharti M Borah getting into the depths of their self and Psychoanalytic Society in 1922.
others. Readings and assignments not An even lesser known fact is that Bose

W
hen you enter the world of
psychology, no student of
psychology can escape hear-
ing statements like, “Oh, so
you can read my mind!” or “I need to be
careful about what I say in front of you.”
Psychology is not about reading minds.
It is a discipline that is defined as “the
study of human and animal behaviour.”
In order to enter this sphere, you need to
have a genuine interest in human behav-
iour and have to develop your observa-
tional skills, if not already prevalent.
Psychology departments always stand
out no matter which space they occupy.
People will peep in, but will always be
wary of entering this space. According
to Shalini Masih, counsellor at New
Delhi’s Satyawati College, “Psychology
is very time consuming and there is a
stigma attached to being a psychologist
as well.” Students of psychology usually
end up being lost in a world of their own,
only provide you insight into behaviour
but also help in developing an under-
standing into the connection between
the mind and body.
How it all began
The first department of psychology in
India was established at Calcutta Uni-
versity as early as 1915 when Sigmund
Freud was busy understanding the
psyche in the Victorian society. Though
many would have heard of Freud, not
many would be aware of our own Gir-
indrasekhar Bose, an early 20th cen-
tury South Asian psychoanalyst who was
also the first president of the Indian
Distance Learning
■■ Annamalai University, Annamalainagar
■■ Bharathiar University, Coimbatore
■■ Nalanda Open University, Patna
and Freud carried on a twenty-year
dialogue through letters. When Bose
submitted his doctoral thesis in 1921,
entitled ‘Concept of Repression,’ he
blended Hindu thought with Freudian
concepts.
The Indian Psychological Association
got established in 1924 and the Indian
Journal of Psychology was founded in
1926, much ahead of many countries
around the world. Bose has found reflec-
tion through the writings of Christiane
Hartnack, Amit Ranjan Basu, Ashis
Nandy, Sudhir Kakar and Mansi Kumar
amongst many others. In spite of the early
beginning in the Indian context, psychol-
ogy is still trying to find its grounding and
establish roots as a discipline and profes-
sion to be pursued actively.
Levels of study
Psychology is introduced at school lev-
els in India. However, an in depth study

44 careers 360 September 2009


of the subject takes strong roots only at
the undergraduation level. You would
be able to opt for a BA (Hons) in psy-
chology, a BSc in psychology or a BA in
psychology depending on the institution
you opt to study. Remember, only with
a high percentage in schooling will gain
entry. You end up studying a range of
subjects including general psychology,
statistics, systems, abnormal behaviour,
physiological psychology, and applied
psychology to name a few. You will be
required to do practicals as part of each
course, as well. Conducting a memory
test or a personality test or an aptitude
test on yourself and on subjects would
not remain alien to a student of psychol-
ogy for long.
When you enter this arena you need to
remember that a BA degree is normally
not enough and most people end up
doing at least a master’s after complet-
ing their undergraduation. This again
depends on the institute you choose to
study in but is much more structured
Rajesh Thakur/Outlook Group
mordern gadgets help psychologists in a big
way in terms of research and analysis
from child psychology, organizational
behaviour, social psychology and clini-
cal psychology to name some of the
most frequently available options. Most
people end up sitting for the UGC Net
exam for Lectureship during this time
and take up academics as a career path
or opt for further studies.
Some students who have been study-
ing psychology for five years by now,
either end up taking a break and finding
a job or they continue to study for an
MPhil or PhD degree. Many become
inclined towards research and wanting
to make a difference in the field becomes
a strong need. Shveta Kumaria, a clini-
cal psychologist who did an MPhil from
NIMHANS suggests, “One needs to look
beyond the conventional, you can use
your skills in multiple ways. One needs
to understand what one likes and what
one doesn’t and try to be flexible in one’s
Psychology Lab, IP College, DU approach.” You have a large amount of
opportunities available such as academ-
ics, market research, drug trials, schools,
clinics, hospitals, social research, ad
agencies or pure psychometric testing.
Creativity and innovation can be used to
find the right fit. Disaster management is
another great option you can explore in
the coming years.
“Psychology is a Students who begin to do a PhD find
themselves taking up research in a field
very exciting field for of their choice, mostly ending up doing
people who enjoy innovative work or looking at an already
researched aspect of psychology in a
people but it is a unique manner. Ongoing study and read-
misunderstood field. ing will become a core part of your per-
sonality and interest as a part of this field,
It requires long years a part that develops over the years and
of work, training and never really ends. Discussions, confer-
ences and discourse on various aspects
education.” of psychology in terms of motivation,
Dr. Neeru Tanwar attitude and culture create a unique lan-
Clinical Psychologist, New Delhi guage of its own. Many students end up
feeling like they are talking in a different
language when they speak to people who
and a deeper. A minimum of 55% in do not belong to the field of psychology.
your undergraduation is required to
apply, along with sitting for an entrance Choosing the best school
test, group discussion and an interview. Before zeroing in on a school as a student
Readings and assignments and ongoing of psychology, one would have to decide
research become a part of your world. on the area of specialization. Even at
You would have to choose a specializa- the BA level you would have to opt for a
tion in your second year of MA ranging specialization such as child psychology
45 careers 360 September 2009
 In depth psychology

Top Indian institutions

Institution City State
Psychology

Bangalore University Bangalore Karnataka

B Sc

Little Flower Institute of Social Sciences and Health Kozhikode Kerala

Tripura University Agartala Tripura
Barkatullah Vishwavidyalaya Bhopal Madhya Pradesh
Bhavnagar University Bhavnagar Gujarat
Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya Indore Madhya Pradesh
Dr. Harisingh Gour University Sagar Madhya Pradesh
Jai Narain Vyas University Jodhpur Rajasthan
BA (Hons) Psychology

Jamia Millia Islamia New Delhi Delhi “Look beyond the

Kurukshetra University Kurukshetra Haryana
conventional,
Maharshi Dayanand University
North Eastern Hill University
Rohtak
Shillong
Haryana
Meghalaya
you can use your
Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University Raipur Chhattisgarh
skills in multiple
University of Ajmer Ajmer Rajasthan ways.”
University of Delhi New Delhi Delhi Shveta Kumaria
Consultant, Erehwon Innovation
Utkal University Bhubaneshwar Orissa
Consulting, Bangalore.
Veer Narmath South Gujarat University Surat Gujarat

or social psychology or applied psy- approach is a large part of the territory.

chology in your third year. Make sure Experience would be largely dependent
to choose an institute to study where on the area of specialization and that
the faculty is available for the particular will help decide the area of work after
subject. Under the consistent effort of completing your degree.
Indian psychologists, cultural and social Specializations lead to in depth
psychology has become an area that has knowledge base in a specified area.
evolved over the years to pursue. A neuro psychologist would find space
The National Institute of Mental in health care as a specialist who under-
Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) stands the relation between human
in Bangalore is an internationally repu- physical systems to undertand behav-
Psychology Lab, IP College, DU

tated institution, providing state-of- ioural changes after stroke/head injury.

the-art training in mental health. At an
MPhil level, with very few seats avail-
able, many students sit for the exam
more than once to gain entry into this
prestigious institution. Tata Institute of
Social Sciences is another space that
students strive for. Allahabad University
is historically a place where Indian psy-
chology took strong roots and has cre-
ated many famous Indian psychologists.
University of Delhi also offers various
specializations such as organizational
behaviour, clinical psychology and social
psychology, a place many students are
able to find their area of choice. Though
many students remain unaware, you can
also opt to be part of IIT’s to pursue fur-
ther education in this field.
Branches of psychology
After having completed your under-
graduation course or even while doing
A criminal psychologist would find work
in prisons, juvenile centres and special
hospitals to understand criminal behav-
iour and the psyche.
Psychology courses are technical in nature, Where all you could be
requiring long hours of sustained effort Dr. Neeru Tanwar, a New Delhi-based
clinical psychologist feels that psychol-
so, you may have zeroed in on the branch ogy can be broadly divided into two
of psychology you want to pursue. Psy- categories, concerned with those who
chology in India is largely concerned are well/and restoring well being. She
with the study of human behaviour so believes that psychology can be used
if you want to study animal behaviour in various fields. School or education-
you would have no option but to go al psychologists use their knowledge
abroad. Psychologists apply the theoret- to develop curriculum, and learning
ical knowledge they gain to help gather techniques that are more effective. The
information through laboratory experi- corporate world finds psychologists that
ments: personality, aptitude and intelli- help people work better, resolve con-
gence tests; observation, interviews and flicts, and in team building. Motivation
questionnaires. In addition you may becomes core to their understanding of
opt for surveys as a mode of gathering human resources and industrial rela-
data. However, statistics and a scientific tions as well.

46 careers 360 September 2009


Studying psychology abroad
Institution Country
Australian National University Australia
Columbia University
Cornell University
Harvard University
London School of Economics and Political Science
Massechusetts Institute of Technology
McGill University
Monash University Australia
National University of Singapore Singapore
New York University
Peking University
Princeton University
Stanford University
The University of Melbourne Australia
University of British Columbia
University of California
University of California
University of Cambridge
University of Chicago
University of Michigan
University of Oxford
University of Pennsylvania
University of Tokyo
University of Toronto
Yale University
Most find themselves involved in
working with the well. But, another
category that exists requires restor-
ing well being. Assessment, diagno-
sis and testing become a core part of
psychologists working in this area and
rehabilitation is the essence of their
jobs. Dr. Tanwar stated, “Psychology
is a very exciting field for people who
enjoy people but it is a misunderstood
field. It requires long years of work,
training and education. Academic per-
formance is important and courses are
technical.” When you are making an
earning through this profession, you
need to free yourself from the corpo-
rate trend in terms of money. Clinical
psychologists, counsellors, psychome-
tricians and rehabilitative psycholo-
gists largely occupy this space along
with psychiatrists, social workers and
other specialists.
Job openings for psychologists
Depending on your specialization, you
Website will opt for a specific career path. How-
www.anu.edu.au/index.html ever, be warned that money is not some-
US www.columbia.edu
thing that you will receive in spite of the
years of study you have already put in.
US www.cornell.edu
You need to be realistic, realize that your
US www.harvard.edu qualifications will not put you at par
UK www.lse.ac.uk with others who have done professional
US http://web.mit.edu courses. Kumaria advises that when
after years of work you are earning only
Canada www.mcgill.ca
Rs. 25,000 a month, you’ll start ques-
www.monash.edu.au tioning your decision to have studied
www.nus.edu.sg psychology but you need to stay with it.
US www.nyu.edu She advises that getting some experi-
ence from abroad in terms of pursuing
China www.psy.pku.edu.cn/en
short term courses or getting a global
US www.princeton.edu/main experience by joining the likes of ‘Doc-
US www.stanford.edu tors without frontiers’ will increase your
www.unimelb.edu.au exposure and help build confidence.
Choices also become based on your
US www.ubc.ca
personal needs at the time you finish
US http://berkeley.edu/ your degree. Paresh Shah had passed out
US http://berkeley.edu/ with a specialization in organizational
UK www.cam.ac.uk behaviour but opted to join an NGO
where he began work as a counsellor.
US www.uchicago.edu
Psychology as a field remains as an ‘all
US www.umich.edu women’s subject’ in the mind of soci-
US www.ox.ac.uk ety, a thought that makes men feel a
US www.upenn.edu/campus bit marginalized when they opt for this
subject. However, this didn’t deter Shah
Japan www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/index_e.html
from staying in the subject and he went
Canada www.utoronto.ca/ on to receive the Richmond Fellowship
US www.yale.edu/ and worked in the field of psychoso-
cial rehabilitation. It was demanding
work, especially at the emotional level.
After six years of work experience, he
found himself earning only Rs. 15,000-
20,000 a month, leaving him feeling a
little disillusioned. He opted to enter
the corporate world and use the skills he
learned while studying organizational
behaviour. Shah has a piece of advice for
people entering the field of psychology
echoed in Masih’s words, “They should
have the passion and they should also
have the patience. You need to think
about your orientation and mentors
seriously, there are very good courses
“They should have available abroad. Just remember psy-
chology is not a cake walk.”
the passion and they
should also have Qualities of a psychologist
This is largely dependent on the space
the patience” you choose to occupy but some con-
Paresh Shah stants do remain. Masih sums up the
Former consultant, Accenture Services skills in terms of the 3 P’s of psychology,
Patience, Passion and Perseverance, a
47 careers 360 September 2009
In depth psychology

Glimpse into areas of study and some job opportunities

Applied Psychology
Clinical Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Counselling Psychology
Criminal/Legal Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Educational Psychology
Experimental Psychology
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Neuro Psychology
Research Psychology
Social Psychology
Counselling, training programmes, market research, mental health services in hospitals, clinics, or private settings
Mental Health programmes in psychiatric hospitals and clinics, community, geriatrics, and private practice
Study of the brain’s role in memory, thinking and perceptions, can apply to artificial intellegence
Help people deal with problems of every day living at personal, social, educational or vocational levels
Work in prisons, juvenile centres and special hospitals
Study the patterns and causes of behavioural change from infancy to adulthood
Design, develop and evaluate educational programmes
Conduct experimental research on various aspects of human behaviour
Applying psychological principles to personnel, administration, management and marketing problems
Applying study of the relation between human physical systems and behaviour to stroke/head injury
Physical, cognitive, emotional or social aspects of human behaviour
Studying group behaviour, leadership, attitudes and interpersonal perception

fact that many students and established
psychologists agree to. You require a
basic sensitivity towards human nature
and need to be ethical in approach. Con-
fidentiality is a must for any psycholo-
gist, whether you are operating at the
community level, corporate or involved
in group processes.
Nishtha Upadhaya, Joint Control-
ler, Defence Accounts (Air Force) and
Financial Advisor (R&R Hospital), a
university topper at the undergradua-
tion and postgraduation level in psy-
chology always dreamt of joining the
administrative services. Her experience
in the Defence Ministry led to a feeling
that acceptability as a woman doesn’t
come easy but having studied psychol-
ogy has helped her in dealing with initial
resistance that is always there. Her skills
have been recognized by her seniors
as well and she is generally posted to
offices where there is a crisis of sorts.
Studying psychology has created a lot
of understanding about her own self but
Upadhaya remembers, “No one is sup-
posed to be like you. They are supposed
to be different.”
Circling the world of psychology
After investing more than five years of
your life in psychology and if you are
still continuing to do so in whichev-
er space you occupy, rest assured you
have entered a world that is as diffi-
cult to enter as it is to exit. Sudhanshu
Mishra had done a master’s through a
correspondence course from Annam-
alai University and was an active mental
health practitioner. He changed fields
and started working with an NGO based
Psychology courses demand passion, patience
and perseverence to a great degree to succeed
its footing though the future of counsel-
ling looks very good in India.
Are you keen on a career in psychol-
ogy? Once you decide the specialization,
and the school to study, the journey
becomes a bit easy. Don’t be afraid to
take the step forward, but remember the
three P’s required as the journey will be
a long one and not so easy. There may
be various stumbling blocks and disillu-
sionment on the way but once you have
entered this world you will want to stay,
sometimes out of choice and sometimes
in spite of it. There will be hardships
involved, some misunderstanding and
monetary issues would keep cropping
in. But, the satisfaction you will receive
“When you are making when you help a person in whichever
capacity will leave you with a sense of
an earning through achievement and probably a smile on
this profession, your face when you fall asleep in the
you need to free night, drained after a long and taxing
day, emotionally as well as physically.
yourself from the
corporate trend in
terms of money. Previous Reviews
But it is emotionally Foreign Language: The lure of foreign
satisfying ” words
Biotechnology: What to study, where to
work
Learning from the best professors for free
in Kolkata. Mishra feels that students
Law: Raising the bar and being on the
entering this field need to be aware that right side of law
the scope in terms of academics is very
stable. Clinical psychology is picking www.careers360.com
up but various hardships are involved.
Applied psychology still has not found

48 careers 360 September 2009

Cover Story Govt/PSU JOBS

govt/psu

1.71 lakh
jobs UP FOR GRABS

Government Jobs
(2008-2009)
Administration 2,188
Agriculture & Allied Science 988
Banking 51,692
Education 7,972
Engineering 10,559
Finance & Accounts 1,666
Health 7,424
Non-Technical 4,954
Office SUPPORT 7,839
sPECIALISTS 4,029
Science & Technology 2,627
Security 35,632
Service Engineering 31,530
OTHERs 1,678
Total 1,70,778

Top ten recruiters across
all sectors
Organisation
State Bank of India
Central Industrial Security Force
Railway Recruitment Board
Delhi Police
Indo Tibetan Border Police Force
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
Ministry of Shipping/Road Transport
and Highways
Employees State Insurance Corporation
Union Bank of India
Oriental Bank of Commerce
The government sector offers jobs in almost all fields
ranging from agriculture to hospitality. Know the
possibilities before you decide on a particular career
by Nimesh Chandra
W
ith over 18 million
employees, government
sector still accounts for
over half of the total
employees in the organized sector in
India. And for millions of graduates and
diploma holders in non-metros, a public
sector job is still a passport to financial
security, social status and general well
being. Hence, despite impossible suc-
cess rates like 1 in 10,000 for Special
Class Railway Apprentices Examina-
tion, lakhs of people every year sit for
hundreds of examinations conducted
by a host of agencies for that elusive
government job.
Recruitments in the government sec-
tor happen at four levels. The central
government recruits through the Union
Public Service Commission and the
state governments through their own
public service commissions. The public
sector undertakings and autonomous
institutions recruit either individually
or through centralized recruitment
boards on an all India basis.
And recruitments in the public sector
are diverse. From gardner to advisor,
Youth edge in
government recruitments
Vacancies
94%*
27,251 18-35**
13,900
13,839
10,566
7,676
6,244
5,515
3%
36-44
4,753
3,771 *Percentage of vacancies
** Age groups
3,056
government recruits for various job
profiles and at all levels of responsibili-
ties. The entry requirements, selection
process, catchment area, and eligibility
requirements are amazingly diverse.
To help you navigate the job market
better, we present an analysis of most
of the jobs announced in the public
sector during the last financial year
(2008-2009). Grouped into 14 differ-
ent sectors, from agriculture to service
engineering, over 1.7 lakh employment
opportunities that are available for an
aspiring youth have been examined.
While the detailed eligibility require-
ments and examination processes are
impossible to list out, a broad overview
of qualifications, tips for examination
and other relevant details have been
incorporated.
The primary objective is to provide
you a pen picture of the number, nature,
selection process and prospects of avail-
able government jobs across sectors.
This is in a bid to enable you to make
sound decisions about your career in
what would turn out to be a lifetime
pursuit for most of you.
Research
Methodology
Mapping Employment News and
select national dailies for the past
year, we created a database of
all the listing of jobs of Central,
State Governments, Public Sector
Undertakings, autonomous bod-
ies, Universities, and other general
recruitment bodies and mid-level
career promotion opportunities
including those on deputation. We
gathered detailed data on position,
age, qualifications required, selec-
tion process, nature of recruitment
and organisations. We grouped the
2% 1% 170,778 jobs, so identified into 14
45-55 56 & above broad categories that include spe-
cialists and others. Only recruitment
by armed forces has been excluded
as the exact number of vacancies is
not available.
Cover Story Govt./PSU jobs
Agriculture and Allied Disciplines
F
or the first time in modern history
the 1960s and 1970s saw impres-
sive growth in agricultural pro-
ductivity aimed at making India fully
self-sufficient in its food requirements.
However, in the current scenario due
to several factors like unsustainable use
of resources, lack of scientific research,
and coping with issues such as climate
change, usage of fertilisers, power short-
ages etc. has compelled the government
to have a rigorous and coherent policy
to boost activities in agriculture, vet-
erinary, forestry and allied areas. In our
study we found that job openings for
agricultural graduates increased con-
siderably in banks and financial institu-
tions and the opportunities, particularly
in the rural areas are multiplying. Scien-
tists and subject specialists were in high
demand for which postgraduation (PG)
in relevant area was essentially required.
Specialisation in subjects like agronomy,
animal husbandry, horticulture, plant
protection, soil science, entomology
and microbiology were the most sought
after. Most of these positions were at the
Health Sector
M
edical officers were the most
recruited among the several job
titles in this sector primarily at
the government hospitals, public sector
corporations and other organisations.
The health sector openings accounted
for 4 percent of all jobs across all the
sectors. The opening for Nurse/Nurs-
ing officers/Sisters - the second larg-
est among job-titles require a BSc in
Nursing or diploma in general nursing
and midwifery and for higher level, in
addition to the said qualification, two-
three years of work experience is con-
sidered mandatory. However, for some
positions in a smaller organisation,
you may have passed class tenth exam
with an added qualification in Nursing.
The All India Institute of Medical Sci-
ences, New Delhi recruited more than
360 Sisters (Grade II) last year. For
Photographs: Outlook Group
Indian Agricultural Research Institute’s
regional centres all over the country
and at the research divisions of Indian
Council for Agriculture Research . Many
openings were seen at the Research Fel-
low (both senior and junior level) or
Associate level in several projects that
required at least a high second class
PG or a higher degree like PhD. On an
average the openings were at middle or
senior level that required substantial
work experience. Maharashtra Public
Service Commission required over 150
Assistant Commissioners in the field
of Animal Husbandry at a pre-revised
pay-scale of Rs. 8,000-13,500. For such
openings a Master’s degree is required
and practical experience in Animal Hus-
bandry for a period of not less than 5
years in a government department or
in an industrial undertaking is a must.
The responsibilities at such positions
usually ask for scientific evaluation of
various technical programmes and sug-
gesting suitable remedial measures. The
employment opportunities also were
found at the Krishi Vigyan Kendras
52 careers 360 September 2009
 Top recruiters in Health Sector (2008-09) Maximum job openings in
Organisation Vacancies Maximum job openings
Health Sector (2008-09)
Position Vacancies
Employees State Insurance Corporation 2,805 828 Insurance Medical Officers
Nurse/Nursing officers/Sisters 1,566
Uttarakhand Public Service Commission 900 875 Medical Officers
Medical Officers 1,394
Tripura Public Service Commission 730 365 General Duty and Junior Medical
Officers each Insurance Medical Officers 829

Railway Recruitment Board 556 Health & Malaria Inspector, RRB Chennai Junior Residents 702
Assistant Professors 430
All India Institute of Medical Sciences 364 362 Sister Grade II
General Duty Medical Officers 366
Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education 200 191 Assistant Professor
& Research, Chandigarh Health & Malaria Inspectors 302

the post of medical officers in their spe-
cialised area, a degree in related med-
icine field is essential. For insurance
medical officers, who were recruited in
large numbers by the Employee State
Insurance Corporation, in addition to
a medical qualification, it is obligatory
that one should have completed com-
pulsory rotating internship and also be
registered under the Medical Council
of India. These officers are posted in
hospitals/dispensaries of E.S.I. Corpo-
ration after clearing the selection test.
The other promising job opportunity
in the health sector is at teaching and
research positions. Last year 430 assis-
tant professors were recruited in differ-
ent medical colleges and hospitals in the
country. While Lady Hardinge Medical
College & Smt S.K Hospital recruited
over 150 faculty members of which 68
were for assistant professorship, the
Postgraduate Institute of Medical Edu-
cation & Research, Chandigarh filled in
200 faculty positions. Railway Recruit-
ment Board selected 229 Health &
Malaria Inspectors which required the
candidates to have a degree in science,
preferably with chemistry as the main
subject. The other noteworthy open-
ings here are at the level of Pharmacists,
Medical Superintendents, Radiologists,
Anaesthetists and Subject Specialists.

(KVK); Project Directorates on differ-

ent agriculture/allied subjects, com-
modity boards and cooperatives. The
KVKs usually employed programme
coordinators, farm managers and sub-
ject matter specialsts. The recruitments
are usually advertised in the Employ-
ment News and national newspapers,
but one should always keep a check on Maximum job openings in Agriculture and
Allied Disciplines (2008-09)
the websites of the agriculture universi-
ties in the country and research insti- Position Vacancies
tutions like National Dairy Research Assistant Commissioner 153
Institute, Forest Research Institute,
Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Senior Scientist 142
Indian Agricultural Research Institute Head of various departments 50
etc. Last year, the State Public Service
Commissions recruited the maximum Subject Matter Specialist 40
number of people followed by research Principal Scientist 28
institutes of the Agriculture Council.

Top recruiters in Agriculture and Allied Disciplines (2008-09)

Organisation/Department Vacancies Maximum job openings

Public Service Commission, Uttar Pradesh 217 Veterinary Medical Officer

Maharashtra Public Service Commission 204 Assistant Commissioner, Animal

Husbandry
Indian Agricultural Research Institute 61 Senior Scientist
Krishi Vigyan Kendra 29 Subject Matter Specialist

Central Institute of Fisheries Education 26 Senior Scientist

53 careers 360 September 2009

Cover Story Govt./PSU jobs

Science &
Technology
W
hen Aarti Srivastava, a polymer
scientist, started looking for a
job in her field, she attempted
a balanced approach to both teaching
and research. Her PhD supervisor at
Banaras Hindu University told her she
would be competitive for faculty posi-
tions, but her post-doc advisor suggest-
ed that her research outcome would be
more suitable to a career in research.
She thus chose a public sector oil com-
pany’s Research & Development centre
where she now relishes the challenge of
developing real-world products. In the
past one year such openings have been
advertised at different levels in different
functional areas. Of the 2,627 job posi-
tions in this sector, nearly half were that
of scientists at different levels.

Banking Sector - Money Matters Maximum job openings in

Banking Sector (2008-09)

A
mrendra Nath Sinha, a probation- the qualifying criteria for vacancies Position Vacancies
ary officer at the Indian Overseas were found to be postgraduation with
Clerical level 28,583
Bank reflects on the need for a relevant specialization at the middle
much wider-ranging of knowledge than and senior level positions. Knowledge Probationary Officer 12,688
was required, say a decade ago. The of computers is an add on. The usual Assistant Manager 2,725
range of products and services which openings were for chartered accoun- Manager 1,103
banks can offer is so extensive following tants, cost accountants, management, Agriculture Officer 652
the deregulation of the sector. In the agriculture and commerce graduates.
Management Trainee 551
previous year (2008-09), banking sec- The other job openings in the sector
tor recruited the maximum number of
personnel at various levels ranging from Top recruiters in Banking Sector (2008-09)
management trainees to assistant man-
Organisation/Department Vacancies Maximum job openings
agers and agriculture officers to market-
ing & recovery officers (rural). State Bank of India 27,241 20,000 Clerical Grade
However, the two most demanding job Union Bank of India 3,771 2,075 Assistant Manager (Marketing)
positions offered at the entry level are at Oriental Bank of Commerce 3,050 3,000 Probationary Officers
the Clerical Grade and as Probationary
Central Bank Of India 2,056 850 Clerical Grade
Officers (PO). These positions draw a
dominant pay-scale of Rs. 4,410-13,210 Bank of Baroda 1,950 1,000 Clerks/750 Probationary Officers
and Rs. 10,000-18,240 respectively. Syndicate Bank 1,850 1,300 Probationary Officers
With stiff competition coming from pri-
Bank of India 1,750 1,750 Clerical Grade
vate sector and foreign banks in India,
most of the nationalised banks enable Andhra Bank 1,675 965 Clerical Grade
a greater adaptation of life-long learn- Allahabad Bank 1,423 1,000 Clerks cum Cashiers
ing to the present and future qualifica- Indian Overseas Bank 1,250 1,250 Probationary Officers
tion needs. In the present context of
Canara bank 1,100 400 Probationary Officers
an increasingly complex finance sector,

54 careers 360 September 2009

 While public sector enterprises such
as Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
Limited, Indian Oil Limited, Uranium
Corporation of India Limited, Hindu-
stan Organic Chemicals Limited and
the like recruited several S&T person-
nel last year, the Council of Scientific
and Industrial Research and its labo-
ratories also employed many senior/
principal scientists. The number of chief
scientists recruited were relatively less.
Maximum job openings in Science
& Technology (2008-09)
Position Vacancies
Scientists/Senior Scientists/ 1,196
Principal Scientists
Research Associates, Fellows & 214
Assistants (RA/RF)
Junior Research Fellow (JRF) 169
Senior Research Fellow (SRF) 108
Principal Scientist 28
include investment officers, insurance
advisors, foreign exchange manager,
systems manager, financial analysts,
corporate credit personnel and so on.
In the coming years, it appears that the
development of vocational or profes-
sional qualifications would be a priority
for the Indian banking sector.
The strategic sector has also recruit-
ed hundreds of scientists, for instance
the Defence Research & Development
Organisation (DRDO) recruited 500
scientists ‘B’ last year. Interestingly, a
majority of those employed at DRDO
were graduates from the Indian Insti-
tutes of Technology (IITs). For such
positions the Recruitment and Assess-
ment Centre conducts a Scientist Entry
Test (SET) usually advertised on their
website and Employment News.
The S&T sector has wide range of
opportunities for personnel in all critical
areas like health, education, basic sci-
ence, power, protection technologies and
so on. In the past few years, an increasing
Top recruiters in Science & Technology (2008-09)
Organisation
Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO)
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)
Within banking, employers look for
people with following skills: numeracy
and mathematics, relationship manage-
ment that makes you understand client
needs; industry and product knowledge;
interpersonal skills; knowledge of infor-
mation and communication technology;
and languages and cultural awareness.
55 careers 360 September 2009
number of posts have been devoted spe-
cifically to research and teaching posi-
tions in academia. Research Associates,
Research Fellows & Assistants, Junior
and Senior Research Fellows were
very much encouraged to render their
services in various projects. Academic
institutes such as central and state uni-
versities, National Institutes of Tech-
nology, IITs and like regularly recruit
candidates at the above positions who
are later employed as faculty members.
The projects were seen to be largely
sponsored by department of science
and technology, biotechnology, atomic
energy, space ministry of environment
and forests and health & family welfare.
Vacancies Maximum job openings
539 500 Scientist ‘B’
89 89 Field Executives
In our analysis, among the top recruit-
ers, the State Bank of India emerged as
the largest recruiter with over 27,200
vacancies in the last year - the largest
share being taken by Clerical Grade fol-
lowed by Probationary Officers (PO).
The other large recruiter was Union
Bank of India. The entry level eligibility
criteria for the former is 12th pass with
60 per cent marks while for the POs it is
graduation with stipulated percentage
that varies from bank to bank. The selec-
tion for POs is through preliminary and
main examination followed by group
discussion and interviews (also see page
24 for details on Bank PO exam).
The 2-hour preliminary exam is objec-
tive comprising English language; test of
reasoning; general awareness including
computer knowledge; and quantitative
aptitude including data interpretation.
The 3-hour main examination also has
a descriptive section on English. A simi-
lar exam pattern is adopted for clerical
grade but the emphasis is on numerical
aptitude, reasoning and language skills.
Recruitment details are available on
respective websites of banks, Employ-
ment News, job portals (look for reputed
ones) and national dailies.
Cover Story Govt./PSU jobs
Education - teaching for a new India
F
aculty openings in academic insti-
tutions are best suited for moti-
vated self-starters who have gone
through both the rigours and exciting
facet of a higher degree, usually a PhD,
while post-doctoral experience is an
added advantage. The highest rewards
are given to those who are able to identi-
fy and explore original problems in their
fields. With the Sixth Pay Commission
in place, the education sector is particu-
larly seen to attract many people.
The attraction is also due to the rela-
tively flexible structure of the profes-
sion. There were close to 8,000 teaching
jobs advertised last year in the public-
funded universities and organisations,
research institutions, schools, munici-
pal corporations, and public service
commissions. Out of these, nearly 50
percent were at the entry level as lectur-
ers and assistant professors. In view of
several academic institutions being set
up by the government and private sec-
tor in the country, many teaching and
research responsibilities are imminent.
In order to equip oneself for a faculty
position, one needs to pass the National
Eligibility Test (NET) conducted by the
University Grants Commission (UGC).
The Council of Scientific and Indus-
trial Research (CSIR) conducts the
UGC/CSIR-NET for natural sciences.
The prerequisite to appear for this test
is a postgraduate degree in the respec-
tive subject. The test is conducted by
the UGC twice a year usually in June
and December. There are two papers
of which the first tests your teaching
and research aptitude, while the second
paper is designed to test your knowledge
in the subject. Employees State Insur- Maximum job openings in
ance Corporation and Uttarakhand Education Sector (2008-09)
Public Service Commission recruited Position Vacancies
about 1,500 assistant professors/
Lecturer 2,543
lecturers. Banaras Hindu University
also recruited nearly 500 faculty in Assistant Professor 1,018
last year. Major recruiters also include Professor 728
different ministries, Railways and
Associate Professor 641
defence services.
Top recruiters in Education Sector (2008-09)
Organisation/Department Vacancies Maximum job openings
Employees State Insurance Corporation 1,638 501 Assistant Professors
Uttarakhand Public Service Commission 1,404 1,404 Lecturer
Municipal Corporation of Delhi 1,003 1,003 Teachers
Banaras Hindu University 470 436 Lecturers
Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board 453 290 Trained Graduate Teachers
Engineering
T
oday’s engineers and technolo-
gists continue to revolution-
ize the way we live. At the risk
of being simplistic, in general, an engi-
neer’s position stresses theory, analysis,
and design while a technologist’s job
incorporates applications of the same.
Last year saw more than 10,500 jobs
in engineering domain, not to speak of
technicians who are dealt separately
in the section on service engineering.
Job-titles in demand were Junior Tele-
com Officers (JTO), Graduate Engineer
Trainees (GET) and Junior Engineers.
Public Sector Units (PSU) in particular
aggressively looked for fresh engineers
to be appointed as executive trainees in
the pre-revised dominant pay scale of
56 careers 360 September 2009
Finance & Accounts - bean counters
T
he option in finance involves devel- businesses by managing risk, anticipat-
opment of theoretical and practi- ing potential risk problems and pro-
cal approaches to financial man- tecting from catastrophic losses. Last
agement, security analysis, and portfolio year Life Insurance Corporation (LIC)
management as also the analytical study recruited 30 actuarial administrative
of money markets, real estate, insur- officers that required a pass in papers
ance, options & futures and financial of Actuarial Society of India (IAL/
institutions. However, the moment we ASI) apart from a basic degree. Larg-
grouped accounts in the category all job- est recruiters for accountants were LIC,
titles with large vacancies overshadowed Food Corporation of India, and Railway Maximum job openings in Finance &
the vacancies in finance sector. Recruitment Board in the pre-revised Accounts (2008-09)
In finance, several banks like UCO dominant pay-band of Rs. 5,000-8,000
Position Vacancies
Bank, Canara Bank, Andhra Bank and and Rs. 7,500-12,000. Employees Provi-
Dena Bank recruited Chartered Accoun- dent Fund recruited nearly 100 audit Accountant/Accounts Officer 400
tants in two figures. Similarly the public personnel last year. Skill-sets in demand Accounts Assistant 245
sector organizations like Food Corpo- for accountants in particular are finan- Trainees - Accounts 79
ration of India, Nuclear Power Corpo- cial statements preparation, general led- Chartered Accountants 132
ration of India Limited and National ger accounting, ad-hoc reporting and
Auditors/Audit officers 98
Highways Authority of India recruited inter-company reconciliation.
finance managers, deputy managers, and
financial analysts in nearly same quan- Top recruiters in Finance & Accounts (2008-09)
tum. In accounts category, maximum Organisation Vacancies Maximum job openings
vacancies were found to be as accoun-
Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) 130 100 AAO Accountants
tants/accounts officers both at senior
and junior level followed by account Food Corporation of India 106 54 Assistant Accounts
assistants, trainees, and auditors. Employees Provident Fund Organisation 93 41 Assistant Audit Officer
The other promising thing to note here Railway Recruitment Board 59 30 Accounts - Junior Accounts Asst
is the openings in insurance in this sec- National Highways Authority of India 57 32 Accounts Officer
tor. Jobs in insurance involve working
UCO Bank 75 75 Chartered Accountants
for the betterment of individuals and

Rs. 12,000-17,500. Some of the big
recruiters were Bharat Heavy Electri-
cals Limited, Oil and Natural Gas Cor-
poration Limited, Damodar Valley Cor-
poration, and National Thermal Power
Corporation. The GETs were recruited
in different disciplines, for instance
NTPC sought 160 trainees in Electrical,
220 in Mechanical, 60 in Civil and 90 in
Control & Instrumentation engineering.
To be selected, candidates have to write
a test comprising a little over 120 multi-
ple-choice questions of the relevant sub-
ject discipline and all those short-listed
appear for GD and Personal Interview
before the respective company’s Cen-
tral Selection Board. Application and
selection formalities are now increas-
ingly being done online. The recruit-
ment information is available on the
websites of these PSUs. Other openings
in this domain were: Section Engineers,
largely recruited by Railway Recruit-
ment Boards; Scientific officers or Sci-
entists (by Ministry of Communications
& IT) and Assistant Engineers, (by state
power corporations) as also Network
and Design Engineers; Architects and
Mining Supervisors in government or
government-supported establishments.

Top recruiters in Engineering Sector (2008-09) Maximum job openings in Engineering

Organisation/Department Vacancies Maximum job openings
Sector (2008-09)
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited 3,945 3,545 JTOs (Telecom) Position Vacancies

Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Ltd 879 879 Junior Engineers Junior Telecom Officers 3,945

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited 855 750 Engineering Trainees Trainees - Engineering 2,036

Railway Recruitment Board 821 86 Section Engineers at RRB, Bhopal Junior Engineers 1,332

National Thermal Power Corporation 602 Executive Trainees Section Engineer 407

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited 442 Executive Trainees Scientific Officers/Scientists 341

57 careers 360 September 2009

Cover Story Govt./PSU jobs

Administration - the glue that binds

A
dministrative jobs are classified
under Central and State. While
central government jobs are
branched into All India Services and
Central Services, a similar categorisa-
tion is seen at the state level. Most of the
jobs in this group were small in num-
ber but at higher ranks from directors
to heads of government undertaking
and from joint secretary to secretary
level. Vacancies in larger numbers were
listed by Railway Recruitment Board
(RRB), insurance firms and govern-
ment. For higher echelons, aspirants
need to write Civil Services Exam con-
ducted by UPSC at the central level or
a similar exam conducted by the State
Public Service Commissions. Last year,
various insurance corporations, scien-
tific research organisations, and govern-
ment departments listed more than 600
vacancies at Administrative Officer’s
level in the dominant pay scale of Rs.
8,000–13,500/Rs. 11,110-20,910. RRB
recruited close to 750 Assistant Sta-
tion Masters and Depot Material Super-
intendents. Ministry of Home Affairs
employed over 50 Intelligence Officers
at its Narcotics Control Bureau. The eli-
gibility at entry level for above jobs is a
graduation degree and selection is done
through written test, GD and interview.
Recruitments happened in Ministry of
Finance, Defence, ESIC, Department
of Animal Husbandry and Food Safety
& Standards Authority of India.

Top recruiters in Administration (2008-09) Maximum job openings in

Administration (2008-09)
Organisation/Department Vacancies Maximum job openings
Position Vacancies
Railway Recruitment Board 576 Assistant Station Masters (164 at RRB Chennai)
Administrative Officer 618
National Insurance Company Limited 153 Administrative Generalist (50) & Specialists (103)
Assistant Station Master 532
Department of Personnel & Training 113 113 Deputy Superintendents Deputy Director 135
Border Security Force 90 51 Assistant Sub Inspectors Director/Head/Secretary 113

Office Support - the nuts & bolts

N
early 8,000 job vacancies were
listed in this category that include
lower division clerks (LDCs), ste-
nographers, office assistants, draughts-
man, private secretary, typist, library
attendant, telephone operator, recep-
tionist and messenger and at a higher
level job titles like upper division clerks,
section officers, and office superinten-
dents among host of others. In all there
were 3,018 positions of clerks and 3,125
posts of office assistants which together
account for 78 percent of all positions in
this category. Section Officers account
for just over 2 percent of all positions.
A sizeable number of LDCs were also
employed by Ministry of Shipping and
Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. For
entry in clerical grade, one needs to
appear in a written exam in two parts:
first is an objective paper of 200 marks
equally divided into sections on reason-
ing ability and clerical aptitude; English
language; numerical ability and general
awareness. Part two comprises a type-
writing test.

Maximum job openings in Top recruiters in Office Support (2008-09)

Office Support (2008-09)
Organisation Vacancies Maximum job openings
Position Vacancies
Life Insurance Corporation 2,771 1277 Office Assistants at LIC (Northern Zonal Office)
Office Assistant 3,125
Municipal Corporation of Delhi 815 815 Lower Division Clerks (LDCs)
Lower Division Clerk 2,889
Stenographer 780 Military Engineer Services 569 169 Lower Division Clerks (LDCs)

58 careers 360 September 2009

Cover Story Govt./PSU jobs

Security - the men in uniform

A
fter banking, maximum job open-
ings were in security. The State
Police, Industrial Security Forces,
Border Security Force/s and even Banks
employed security personnel, although
majority were at the constable level in
the dominant pay scale of Rs. 5,200-
20,200. Educational qualification for
Constable-general duty is a pass in class
10/10+2. Other job-titles in the sector
included security and vigilance officer,
assistant commandants, security super-
visors and coast guards. The sector had
35,632 jobs which accounted for 21 per
cent of total vacancies in the last one
year. Total vacancies for post of con-
stables was 34,459 or 97 per cent of all
security openings. CISF, Delhi Police
Top recruiters in Security Sector (2008-09)
Organisation
and ITBP together accounted for 68 per
cent of the jobs or 22,340 men and 1,486
women constables. For selection, one
needs to qualify physical efficiency test
and written test. For example at CISF,
the former consists of events like race,
long and high jump which carry 25 marks
and the latter consists of both objec-
tive and descriptive test for 50 marks.
The exam assesses candidates’ general
awareness, knowledge of elementary
maths and ability to observe and distin-
guish patterns and basic knowledge of
language. Interview and special qualifi-
cations like creditable achievements in
sports, NCC, scouts/guides or any extra
curricular activity have a weightage of 15
and 10 marks respectively.
Maximum job openings in
Security Sector (2008-09)
Vacancies Maximum job openings Position Vacancies

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) 13,499 12,095 Men & 1,178 Women Constables Constable 34,459

Delhi Police 10,553 10,245 Men & 308 Women Constables Assistant Commandants 269

Indo Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) 6,944 6,933 Constables Security Officer 232
Sashastra Seema Bal 2,644 2,644 Constables Assistant Sub Inspector 161

Non-technical Jobs - support staff

T
he job titles in this category include class V in order to be eligible. An addi- Maximum job openings in
Store Keeper, Security Guard, tional qualification of an ex-serviceman Non-technical Category (2008-09)
Driver, Labourer, Peon, Washer- is generally essential for the job of secu-
Position Vacancies
man, Gardener, Laboratory Assistant, rity personnel in establishments such
Blacksmith, Sweepers among others. as CISF or Border Security Force. The Drivers 1,352
The total number of vacancies in the last applications are aplenty for these posi- Labourers 1,316
year was close to 5,000 or about 3 per- tions as the hopefuls consider this as Store Keeper/Assistant Store 322
cent of total number of vacancies. Apart a safe and secured option. The other Keeper
from the major recruiters listed out, advantage is the adherence to office tim- Safaiwala/Safai Karamchari 149
Indian Army, Indian Navy, Ordinance ings which in case of most of the private
Chowkidar 107
Factory, Railway Recruitment Board, firms is highly ignored.
Sashastra Seema Bal and Military Engi-
neering Services also employed sizeable
Top recruiters in Non-technical Category (2008-09)
number of people. Candidates with edu-
cational qualification of class VIII at the Organisation Vacancies Maximum job openings
minimal level need to apply for the above Ministry of Shipping/ Road Transport & 689 353 Driver Mechanical Transport
listed job titles. While the prevalent age Highways
group for such aspirants was observed Indo Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) 557 Driver - Constable Driver
to be 18-25 years, the dominant pre- Central Industrial Security Force 285 44 Sweepers
revised pay scale was Rs. 2,550-3,200 Western Naval Command, Headquarters 341 208 Assistant Store Keepers
and Rs. 3,050-4,590. Unskilled labour-
Naval Dockyard 753 698 unskilled labourers
ers, however, need to be literate up to

60 careers 360 September 2009

Cover Story Govt./PSU jobs

Specialists: Management, Social Science, Computers, and Law

T
he specialist category includes
Maximum job openings in Specialists Category (2008-09)
professionals from the field of
Management, Social Sciences, Position Category Vacancies
Law and Computers that excludes com- Management Trainees Management 555
puter engineering. Management Train- Assistant General Manager Management 233
ees, in particular those who graduated
Customer Relations Assistant Management 192
from Business schools in less than 1-3
years were the most in demand with Regional Officers Social Science 150
organisations like Steel Authority of Doctoral Fellowships Social Science 55
India Limited, National Thermal Power Executive/Legislative/Protocol Assistants Social Science 44
Corporation, Uranium Corporation of
Programmers/Assistant Programmers Computers 239
India, NHPC Limited formerly called as
National Hydroelectric Power Corpora- Administrative Officer Computers 150
tion Ltd and Syndicate Bank recruiting Manager - IT/Systems Computers 124
them in different functional areas like Law Officers Law 108
finance, human resources and market-
Restorers Law 80
ing. The Social Sciences had fewer posi-
tions that asked for applications for the
posts of regional officers in Ministry of Top recruiters in Specialists Category (2008-09)
Information & Broadcasting. The Indi- Organisation Vacancies Maximum job openings
an Council of Social Science Research
Steel Authority of India Limited 300 300 Management Trainees
(ICSSR) also asked for applications
from those willing to pursue PhD for 40 Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd 192 192 Customer Relations Asst
doctoral fellowships in the open catego- Food Corporation of India 139 57 Assistant General Manager
ry and 15 in the northeast category. In Ministry of Information & Broadcasting 150 150 Regional Officers
computers, programmers/assistant pro-
Indian Council of Social Science Research 55 55 Doctoral Fellowships
grammers that have a diploma or degree
in computer applications were asked to Parliament of India 44 34 Executive/Legislative/Protocol Assistants
apply for nearly 250 positions. Similar- The Oriental Insurance Company Limited 150 150 Administrative Officer
ly job titles like Administrative Officer Employees Provident Fund Organisation 127 127 Programmers
and Manager-IT/Systems were adver- Andhra Bank 75 75 IT Officer
tised for in organisations like Employ-
High Court in various states 258 80 Restorers Delhi High Court; 74 Personal
ees Provident Fund, Andhra Bank and Assistant in Patna High Court
Oriental Insurance Company Limited.
Central Bank of India 70 70 Law Officers
In Law, several banks like the Central

Bank of India and Bank of Maharashtra

looked for law officers in the prevalent
pay band of Rs. 14,300-18,300. The eli-
gibility criteria for a law officer in banks
is a mandatory law degree with 60%
marks and active practice at the Bar for
5 years or as law officer in legal depart-
ment in a commercial bank/financial
institution. The High Court in various
states were on the look for Restorers
in the pay-scale of Rs. 5,200-20,200
short-listed through a two-hour written
examination based on multiple-choice
questions in language comprehension,
general awareness, mathematics and
reasoning. Restorers or Junior Judicial
Assistants are selected after a two-stage
exam comprising comprehension/essay
writing, type-writing and in interview.

62 careers 360 September 2009

Service
Engineering
T
his category includes all such
vacancies where a professional is
likely to be involved in fabricating,
operating, testing and troubleshooting,
and maintaining existing equipment
or systems. In other words, the job
vacancies included anyone holding a
qualification in vocational training (say
diploma from Industrial Training Insti-
tute or Polytechnic) who was qualified
to typically install, test, and maintain
products in the field and was integral to
the manufacturing process. This sector
accounted for nineteen percent of all
job-vacancies in our study. The maxi-
mum openings were for the job title
Assistant Loco Pilot/Loco Pilots by the
Railway Recruitment Board.
The other job openings apart from the qualification needed for applying to
ones listed in the table in sizeable num- positions such as foreman, fitter, charge-
bers were that of fitters, mining sirdars man or junior supervisor is a diploma
in coalfields, technical officers, assistant in a relevant discipline from an ITI or a
workshop superitendents, chargemen, similar institute. The positions such as Maximum job openings in
crane operators, electricians, foremen assistant technicians, craftsmen, labo- Service Engineering (2008-09)
and machinists. Railway Recruitment ratory assistants and junior attendants Position Vacancies
Board in various zones collectively require 10/10+2 pass and relevant expe-
Assistant Loco Pilot 3,958
looked for nearly 10,200 people in this rience depending on the nature of job
sector, while the Ministry of Shipping/ and responsibilities. Recruitments also Technicians 3,620
Road Transport & Highways advertised happened in Public Sector Enterprises Junior Engineers 2,980
for over 4,150 jobs in service engineer- like Hindustan Petroleum Corporation
ing. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd Limited that recruited over 250 Operat- STA/Technical Assistant 2,823
also announced close to 1,300 vacan- ing Technicians and Eastern Coalfields Social Security Assistant 2,382
cies, of which 789 posts were for Station Limited that emloyed Mining Sirdars.
Telecom Technical Assistant 2,364
Controller Train Operators. The Direc- The Department of Atomic Energy also
torate General of Employment and advertised for more than 100 stipendi- Superintendent 1,537
Training (DGET) which is the agency ary trainees in different areas, mainly for
Fire Operator 1,242
responsible for implementing vocational their Hyderabad Station.
training programme in the country has
observed the need for skilled person- Top recruiters in Service Engineering (2008-09)
nel for openings in both manufacturing Organisation Vacancies Maximum job openings
and services in India. The latest annual
Railway Recruitment Board 10,190 2,588 by RRB Allahabad of which 1,636 for
report of DGET (2007-08) states that Assistant Loco Pilots; 1,505 at RRB Bhopal
in order to sustain adequate supply of of which 1,059 for Technicians
semi-skilled workers, and also for value Ministry of Shipping/Road Transport & 4,158 1,537 Superintendents
creation through dynamic vocational Highways
training policy and infrastructure, 6,906 Employees Provident Fund Organization 2,394 2,382 Social Security Assistants
Industrial Training Institutes (ITI)/
centres (1997 in government sector Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited 2,270 397 Telecom Technical Assistants at
BSNL Punjab
and remaining 4,909 in the private sec-
tor) are functioning all over the coun- Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board 1,482 Delhi Fire Services - 1,242 Fire Officers
try. These ITIs have a seating capacity Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited 1,480 750 Supervisor Trainees
of 9.53 lakh and they impart training
Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited 1,390 1,390Technical Helpers
in 110 trades. The general educational

63 careers 360 September 2009

Cover Story Govt./PSU jobs

Others: Music,
Dance, Theatre,
Arts; Hospitality;
Media; Language;
and Sports
T
here were fewer jobs in govern-
ment and public sector organisa-
tions in disciplines like Music/
Dance/Theatre/Arts, Media, Hospital-
ity, Language, and Sports. The job titles
in Music et al that were in demand last
year included painters, photographers,
instrument players, dancers and vocal-
ists. Organisations looking for such Hindi officer, Hindi typists and official sports personnel in different disciplines
posts were Indian Railways, National language officers. Largest recruitment like hockey, football, tennis, cricket, vol-
School of Drama, Kathak Kendra, San- was through the RRB and Public Ser- leyball and badminton. This category
geet Natak Akademi, Banaras Hindu vice Commission, Uttar Pradesh. Even had one percent of total job vacancies
University and Ministry of Shipping. banks such as UCO, Andhra, Canara, in a span of one year. The other job
In Hospitality, the National Aviation Dena, Allahabad and Bank of Maha- was that of Assistant Coach in institutes
Company of India Ltd called for appli- rashtra called for applications for offi- required a Bachelor’s degree in Physical
cations to fill 547 posts of Trainee Cabin cial language officers. Indian Railways Education and a Diploma in Coaching
Crew at a pay package of Rs. 28,000 per recruited the maximum number of from an institution like NIS Patiala.
month. Media jobs were advertised the
least last year. 21 Junior Proof Readers Top recruiters in Others Category (2008-09)
were advertised by Parliament of India, Organisation Vacancies Maximum job openings
while other organisations announced
Ministry of Shipping/Road Transport & Highways 11 Painters
their requirement of Public Relation
Officers and Sub-Editors in this domain. Centre For Personnel Talent Management 04 Photographers
In languages area, Rajbhasha Assistant National Aviation Company of India Ltd (Air India) 547 Trainee Cabin Crew
and Hindi language translators were the Central Industrial Security Force 69 Cooks
most sought after. One needed a Master’s
Parliament of India 21 Junior Proof Readers
degree in Hindi and about two years of
relevant experience for the above posts. Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University 7 Assistant Producer, Video Editors
Other job-titles too were linked to Hindi Railway Recruitment Board, Guwahati 75 Rajbhasha Assistants
language as there were openings such as Public Service Commission U.P. 23 12 Urdu, 11 Hindi Translators
National Cadet Corps 92 Sports Persons
Maximum job openings in
Others Category (2008-09) North Central Railway 36 Sports Quota Hockey

Position Category Vacancies

Concluding remarks
Photographer/ Music etal. 09
Cameramen

W
Painter Music etal. 11
ith over 1.7 lakh jobs, the government and public sector still collectively
Trainee Cabin Crew Hospitality 547
account for about half of the jobs that are available in the organised sector
Cook Hospitality 156 and hence are very much in demand, especially in tier 2 and tier 3 cities.
Junior Proof Reader Media 20 But what motivates individuals to opt for public service varies. Prof. Purshottam
Agarwal, Member UPSC when quizzed about civil services said, “Services as a
PR Officer Media 5
word is integrated into sheer conceptualization of a government job, which is why
Rajbhasha Assistant Language 80 it is termed as public service. In terms of diversity, challenges, and ability to make a
Hindi Translator Language 54 difference, no other job can match civil services.” On the other hand, it is iron clad
Sports Quota NCC Sports 93 security that a government job offers, that motivates many aspirants, is the opinion
of J.Subhramaniam, Research Director, NTPC. Whether it is service orientation or
Sports Persons Sports 76
security, a public sector job offers scope for both.

64 careers 360 September 2009

 First Person D. Purandeswari

“Neither the
UGC nor AICTE
Acts have the
teeth to punish”
D Purandeswari, the Minister of State for HRD held the
same portfolio in the previous ministry as well. She spoke to
Mahesh Sarma, on how the ministry is working towards
making the system effective, efficient and transparent.

every state is supposed to have a fee committee in place, an

admission regulatory committee in place and see that fees is
not abnormally high. Regulations as a stifling factor is com-
pletely different, we need to look at it outside this context.

Q. Can an institution which has been granted deemed uni-

versity status go ahead and set up ten other unaccredited
academic institutions as constitutent colleges ?
A. In order to get a deemed university status, any institution
has to go through a certain process, which I am sure these
Rajesh Thakur/Outlook Group

institutions too would have got through.

Q. Not quite. Some of these institutions have received

deemed university status and have opened constituent
colleges which are presented as under-the-same –umbrel-
la colleges.
A. There are deemed universities and there are universi-
Q. It is argued that regulations are stifling in nature and ties that have been asking for their constituent colleges to
a lot of institutions outside the regulatory regime are per- be recognized as part of the deemed university. But, we
forming well. Your comments. permit only very good colleges to get affiliated. They cannot
A. We need to have a regulatory mechanism in place bring any other college and affiliate them to their univer-
because anybody just can’t open up an institute in a ten-room sity and call them their constituent colleges. That’s not
building and say that I am imparting edu- permissible. The entire deemed-to-be
cation to students–without faculty or... the university process is now coming under
fee is abnormally high. As per our national the scanner. We will check the institu-
policy on education, education cannot be “Anybody just tions which were awarded the status
for profit. Supreme Court judgments have
also pronounced that education is not a
can’t open up an and the process under which they were
granted the status. We will also review
profit-making business, rather it should institute in a the performance of these institutes. That
be accessible to everybody, even to the
most disadvantaged child in our soci-
10-room building is the reason why we have stalled issu-
ance of deemed university status to any
ety. To translate all these thoughts, it is and say I am institution now. The higher education sec-
necessary that we have a regulatory tor is now undergoing a lot of reforms
mechanism in place. That is why, fol- imparting education” and these measures are all part of the
lowing the Supreme Court judgement, reform mechanism.

66 careers 360 September 2009

Q In the 100-day agenda reform list, the Ministry talked and more. We don’t even know the employability opportuni-
about bringing to book the colleges/universities engaged ties the education is going to provide.
in malpractices. What are these 25 malpractices?
A They are still in the process of formulation. This is again in Q So, the Act would ensure that we are not taken
tune with the Supreme Court judgement which says that edu- for a ride?
cation has to be affordable, accessible and quality-oriented. A Of course. And besides, we could at least catch hold
But, even as I say that, we need to also understand that almost of the wrong doers and question them, which we are not able
85% of education is through the private sector. We appreciate to do now.
the role private sector has played for proliferation of higher
education; but at the same time, private sector also has a social Q The other worrying aspect is that of faculty shortage.
responsibility that they need to live up to. A We agree to the fact that we have a 25 to 30% shortage
of teaching faculty as of now. So, to bridge that gap we have
Q Will the system start functioning effectively if all the increased the retirement age to 65, even up to 70 if they are
regulatory bodies are brought under one super regulator? deemed to be medically fit. The brain gain that is happening
A In order to go for a deemed university status, the institutes in our country because of the global meltdown, we are trying
need to have approval of National Board of Accreditation to work on that and see if we can actually attract these guys
(NBA) and National Assessment and Accreditation Council back into our universities. Unfortunately when IT boom hap-
(NAAC). They assess the infrastructure, the programmes pened, a lot of individuals headed to the West because of the
before qualifying them for a deemed uni- lucrative pay packages. And we did not
versity status. NBA is with AICTE, NAAC have researchers stepping in to fill their
with the UGC and since they don’t see eye gap leading to faculty shortage. So, now we
to eye, delay happens in the accreditation
“We don’t want any have increased the number of Junior and
process. So by bringing them all under one foreign university Senior Research Fellows with attractive
roof we are making the process easier and pay packages.
probably more transparent. People have
walking in, setting Besides, we have an early faculty induc-
questions on transparency. up an institution tion programme where we identify stu-

Q So now the new regulatory agency, here or tying-up with dents with the potential of doing research,
bring them into the teaching profession
the accreditation, the recognition and Indian institutes” and then slowly give them time to do
the evaluation bodies would be at arm’s research even as they are teaching so that
length? we can bridge the gap of faculty short-
A Hopefully, they should be because we age. These are some of the measures that
have decided on a National Council for we are looking at, but at the same time
Higher Education as announced by Shri
“It is essential that encouraging research is very important
Kapil Sibal but now we’ll have to work on we usher in a foreign for us. We are spending about 0.3 % of
the nitty-gritty of it and see how we could our GDP on research whereas deve-
actually bring all of this together. Because education bill to loped countries spend anywhere between
we cannot have inspection happening in a regulate the kind 2 to 3% of their GDP. And again, out of
watertight compartment, and awarding of the 0.3 %, 80% is by the public sector.
recognition happening in another. Ideally of institutions The private sector has to step in and
they should be at arm’s length but at the that are going in a big way, which somehow they haven’t
same time the distance shouldn’t be so done so far. We are looking at these
long that it takes us days and years to walk to come” aspects.
up to the other compartment.
Q There are no penal provisions for
Q What is your take on the Foreign Universities Bill? erring institutions which tend to mislead students and
A There is a lack of policy now as far as foreign education is claim a few precious years of their life?
concerned. Foreign education providers are making use of A Unfortunately, when we define a university it is ideally one
this deficit and are making a back door entry. They are, in all that is recognized under the UGC Act. It is also unfortunate
probability, unrecognized institutions. They are giving pro- that UGC or AICTE Acts do not have the teeth to punish.
grammes which are not worth anything in their own home That is why we had actually constituted the Yashpal com-
country and are taking our children for a ride. So, it is essen- mittee, even before it went into a larger term of reference
tial that we usher in a foreign education bill to regulate the where it was looking at the regeneration of the system. We actu-
kind of institutions that are going to come. We don’t want to ally constituted it to look into the AICTE and the UGC Acts
have somebody walking into our country and setting up an and see how we could improvise on the Act. We are looking at
institution here, having a tie-up programme and teaching our that aspect but whenever there is a complaint to that extent,
students which is not good for our country. Besides, the fee we have been talking to the state governments. There is also a
these providers are charging is to the tune of Rs. 12 lakh concerted effort happening from the state government.

67 careers 360 September 2009

Advisory 10 questions
by Bharti M Borah
W
hen you are called for an
interview, remember not to
appear focused on yourself,
money or the TA/DA that
you would need to be reimbursed. Do
not appear fake. Honesty and frankness
is appreciated, in the right dosage. Be
prepared to ask your own set of ques-
tions during the interview to help decide
whether you want to join or not.
1. What will be my scope of work,
roles and responsibilities ?
It’s important to have an idea of the
requirements as an employee. Nivedita
Ghosh, Consultant and Client Manager,
ABC Consultants advices, “Seek clarity
on the duties and responsibilities for
that position so that it does not come as
a surprise package to you.”
2. What are the skill sets required
for effective performance in the
given role?
Understand what is required from
your side, if analytic ability or
thinking out of the box are
needed, you need to be able
to deliver on the same
count. According to Nis-
hant Mohan, Director,
VentureBaron Technol-
ogy, a Mumbai-based
company, “This helps in
understanding if the com-
pany is aligned similarly or if you would
find it difficult in aligning yourself to the
organization’s goals and objectives.”
3. What is the guidance offered in the
initial stages in the organization?
This will decide how smooth your tran-
sition will be into the company. If effort
is made to help you fit in, chances are the
effort will reflect into other aspects as
well. More willing the organization is to
hand hold during the initial period, more
you will deliver better and more is the
intention of the company to make the
relationship work. It is like the company
investing in you.
4. Is there an acclimatizing camp to
get used to the systems, work culture
of the organization?
Many companies place high importance
that this is not personal and a process,
10 questions
be willing to change and mould yourself
into your job.
to ask in an
7. What is your salary structure and
other benefits?
interview
Most employers will make an offer,
so you rarely have to broach the topic.
Be careful in your negotiation process,
don’t appear to be too money-minded.
The right questions asked Mohan warns, “Try and understand
the salary break-up because an unfa-
with earnestness, at the vourable break-up may result in lower
income and more taxes.”
right time is a clincher in
the selection process 8. How much does the company invest
in their employees through learning
and development programmes?
Srinivasan, HR Director, HCL Tech-
nologies feels that your career land-
scape is also determined by the kind of
career development programmes that
are offered. Know what you can
expect, be aware of whether you
will get it or not if you join.
9. What would be your report-
ing structure?
It’s important to understand this
process early so that you avoid
making any blunders as part of
the company. Many companies
state there is no hierarchy, it is
better to understand that it does
exist. Openness should not be
Illustation: Gouri Nanda
taken as a given, be sure to main-
tain a certain decorum and ethical
on this, reflecting the organization’s abil- approach at work.
ity to deliver on its promises and invest-
ment into human resources. Srinivasan, 10. What does the organization think
HR Director, HCL Technologies says, about work-life balance?
“It’s important to know this so that you At a personal level this is important to
have a clearer idea about whether you be kept in mind. Srinivasan shared, “It
will find the right fit,the atmosphere is will not be a question that puts to rest
formal or informal.” your mind in terms of deliverables but
it would give you a sense of how flex-
5. What are my KRA’s based on which ible the company is in terms of other
I would be assessed? needs.”
All employees are evaluated based on An interview is a two-way process, be
the key result areas. Know how your prepared to be able to respond to an
contributions will be rated, be prepared opportunity to ask questions. Remem-
and be willing to deliver. ber each work space is a learning expe-
rience, be open to change and handling
6. Is there an annual appraisal system challenges as part of your work. No
where my deficiencies would be dis- work should be impossible. Give it your
cussed for self improvement? best shot and not be scared to accept
Be open to appraisal and always strive your limitations, work hard to learn at
towards self improvement. Remember work and achieve success.
68 careers 360 September 2009

Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest
would always come into play !
Q. Why did it take so long for Symbiosis to
come under regulatory body?
A. Symbiosis University is different from
other academic institutions. When it was con-
ceptualized in 1971, I was a professor at the
Ferguson College. I was often told by foreign
students, particularly from Afro-Asian coun-
tries that despite the proximity factor in terms
of culture, language, geography and so on
they were still discriminated. Thus as a first
step we created a Symbiosis International
Cultural Centre. However, for enduring inter-
action and mutual understanding, we thought
it would be far better if we offered education
programmes. Government of India gave us
land and we opened the Law School and soon
started offering courses in management and
computer programmes that were affiliated
to Pune University. The opening of several
autonomous institutions was primarily due
to the need of the hour in the 1990s. Thus, it
was a gradual process and in 2002 we got the
deemed university status.
Q. How much of a regulatory insight is
essential?
A. Oh! Absolutely. But there should not
be control. The regulatory mechanism in
education should be akin to TRAI (Tele-
com Regulatory Authority of India). This
would ensure autonomy to the educational
institutions and at the same time prevent
the wrong doers.
Q. What is your opinion on the recom-
mendation that higher education commis-
sion should replace all other regulatory
councils like AICTE, Medical Council, Bar
Council etc?
A. I do agree. I have lost count of how many
councils this nation has. These bodies should
be redundant. There should be a one-window
mechanism to clear all the proposals. It will
be timely and hassle free.
Q. Should profit-oriented institutions be
allowed in the education sphere?
A. I do not see a problem there. But I would
rather term it as surplus generation and this
surplus should be incidental. You could make
Teachers’ Talk Regulation not control
use of that surplus in advancing education
and research. I would also like to say that
there is nothing called charity in higher edu-
cation, unlike primary education or even if
we talk about school education. We must
change our mindset to look at education that
is offered at the college level. Lately education
has become a business with least investment.
Top industrialists are seen to invest in educa-
tion and interestingly industry associations
like FICCI have started organizing seminars Dr. SB Mujumdar
on higher education, research potential in President & Founder
academia and such themes. Director, SYMBIOSIS
Q. What is your view on foreign universi-
ties coming to India?
A. I am open to it. However, with too
many educational campuses of foreign uni-
versities, there should be a minimal level of
check by a regulatory authority. But to me,
at the end of the day, Darwin’s theory would
come into play.
Q. What do you think needs to be done in
the education sphere in the country?
A. I think GLP is the answer – Globalisa-
tion, Liberalisation and Privatisation. Most
of the grant-in-aid institutions have refused
to change and they are growing in size. There
is a need for more institutions and I feel
private institutions should be encouraged.
The National Knowledge Commission has
also emphasised the need for 1500 universi-
ties. But do you think the government would There is nothing
spend so much on the infrastructure? There
are other problems, that of shortage of quality called charity in
faculty, resources and autonomy. I feel all the
universities should be independent entities. higher education,
The other issue is that in most of the universi- unlike primary
ties very little research is going on.
(As told to Nimesh Chandra) education.
69 careers 360 September 2009
Advisory INTERVIEW WEAR

What to wear to
by Sumita Vaid Dixit

T
here’s a wonderful scene in The
Pursuit for Happyness, where
Chris (Will Smith) is asked by
an interviewer:
What would you say if a guy walked in
for an interview without a shirt on and I
hired him? What would you say?
Chris: He must’ve had on some really
nice pants.
Wearing the right attire for job inter-
views shows you understand the nature
of the business and you are familiar with
the dress code of that field, thus increas-
ing your chance in getting the job. Busi-
ness fields such as accounting, banking,
servicing, consulting and law require
formal attire, whereas creative indus-
tries like advertising and technology are
more flexible concerning the attire.
All about shirts and trousers
Clothes do make an impression and the
right kind, if you pay a little attention to
your interview wardrobe. HR profes-
sionals say that a candidate’s attire could
actually make or break their chance of
getting selected.
Since how you look is going to be
important, stick to the simple rules of
dressing that you learnt in school. In
other words, dress up conservatively,
and you can’t go wrong. Wear single
colour shirts. Stripes on shirts look good,
but they shouldn’t be too bold or too thin
and too close to each other.
A white coloured shirt is a popular
choice, but even a pink or a pistachio
coloured shirt is perfectly acceptable
as business formals. And a pair of plain
Studies show that recruiters make up their minds in
the first two seconds of the interview, so how you
dress makes a big impression
completely. About half an inch of the
shirt’s sleeves should be seen.
While it is not entirely necessary to
mention this but still avoid jeans or den-
ims for interviews.
The knotty bit about ties
Now comes the knotty part. The dou-
ble-knot tie is the right size to wear.
Remember the way you tied the knot in
school and the principal agreeably nod-
ded? Yes, keep that in mind. A larger tie
knot can give you a more confident look
while a symmetric one looks elegant. As
the four-in-hand is a small and asym-
metric tie knot, it is less preferred; how-
ever, President Barack Obama wore a
woven silk necktie with a four-in-hand
A quick check
Men’s interview attire
■■ Solid colour, conservative suit
■■ White long sleeve shirt
■■ Conservative tie
■■ Dark socks, professional shoes
Very limited jewellery
■■
knot with a large dimple on inaugura-
tion day.
Choose a tie knot that fits the col-
lar opening of the shirt. For example,
a small tie knot like the four-in-hand
suits shirts with a narrow collar opening,
while a large tie knot like the Windsor
suits shirts with a wide collar opening.
As for the ideal length of your tie, the
tip of the wider end should be at the
same level as your belt.
And be wise in deciding the colour
of the ties. Ties with dark colours are
preferred. For example, dark blue and
dark red; needless to say that it should
be coordinated with your shirt. The pat-
tern and colour should not distract the
recruiter. So no large polka dots or bold,
shiny patterns or pictures; it should look
formal. Silk ties are a good choice.
Ladies, go for Indian wear
Depending on the position you have
applied for and the industry, a cot-
ton sari can be a good choice for an
interview. A nicely pinned up cotton
sari looks elegant when paired with a
conservative cotton blouse (half sleeves,

cuff-links with an inconspicuous design ■■
gives a touch of sophistication. ■■
The length of the trousers should be ■■
just right; it should fall well and not ■■
bunch up at the bottom. Tapering trou-
sers are in vogue, but make sure that it Women’s interview attire
doesn’t taper to the extent of hugging ■■
your calves and ankles. Dark blue and ■■
solid grey go well with most of the shirts. ■■
Avoid self-print or striped trousers. And
■■
the suit should match your trousers.
But if you want to try out different
■■
Neat, professional hairstyle
Go easy on the aftershave
Neatly trimmed nails
Portfolio or briefcase
Solid colour, conservative suit
Coordinated blouse
Moderate shoes
Limited jewellery
Neat, professional hairstyle
preferably). Sari is a good choice
for tourism, hospitality and aviation
sectors.
While salwar-suits do look elegant,
managing the stole can be a task, unless
it’s of a material that stays and you don’t
have to keep adjusting it in its place.
A kurti and salwar is, in fact, a better
option. Since there’s no stole with it,
with the right pattern and colour, it can
look formal and business-like. But no
heavy sequins or embroidery!

coat colours don’t sway beyond charcoal ■■ Tan or light hosiery Traditional nose pins are acceptable,
grey, dark blue, brown, fawn. A black suit ■■ Sparse make-up and perfume provided they are small and pretty.
looks too formal and is less appropriate ■■ Manicured nails Don’t wear any gawdy stuff. As for neck-
for job interviews. The sleeves of the suit ■■ Portfolio or briefcase laces and earrings, small is beautiful
jacket should not cover that of the shirt and smart.

70 careers 360 September 2009

an interview
Western outfit is a safe choice
However, for most sectors western wear
is the perfect choice. A formal shirt and
trousers, and low-heeled pumps, pref-
erably black, or any dark colour – no
purple, please – would go well. And if
your pumps are peep-toes then please
pedicure your nails. If you want to paint
them, only light colours.
Illustration: Gouri Nanda
In case you plan to wear a skirt, then it
should be a formal, well-fitted, black or
grey skirt that reaches below the knees.
With a formal skirt, stockings are a must.
No fishnet stockings but plain, skin
coloured ones. They look graceful.
Belt, shoes, bags and the works
Gentlemen, if you are wearing a black
71 careers 360 September 2009
belt then match it with black shoes,
a brown belt with brown shoes. Recruit-
ing companies say it’s a good idea to
match the shoes or the belts with the
colour of the spectacles, handbags
or briefcases. So keep that in mind,
as well.
We all know that shoes should be
polished; black is a safe colour, and no
pointed, long shoes. And ladies: no fancy
heels, stilettos, and bright colours.
Women could wear a medium width
belt with formal trousers; it gives a neat
look. Choose a plain black belt, and
resist fancy buckles. Make-up could be
kept to a minimum. Lipstick: light pink
or brown. Both mat and gloss are fine but
avoid glitter in lipstick.
Hair-say
Nothing looks neater than a short hair-
cut in men. Gel your hair to avoid any
stray hair sticking out, but do not overdo
it or back comb your hair as it will send
out a wrong message.
Wear the right dress to
show you understand the
nature of the business and
increase your chance
in getting the job
Women could wear their hair in a
bun, neatly held in pins or a plain black
scrunchy. A high, top bun will look right
for the aviation sector. If you wish to
wear your hair open, then blow-dry and
set it. When you comb or brush your
hair, please brush the stray strands off
your shirts or tops. In case there’s a dan-
druff problem, take care of it; white skin
flakes on a dark suit is not a good idea.
As for bulging pockets, body-piercing,
tattoos, low-waist trousers and male
jewellery common sense would say:
avoid it, please. One gem stone ring is
fine; too many might show you in a differ-
ent light. And a last piece of advice: don’t
drench yourself in cologne or deodorant;
it can give your recruiter a headache
the moment you enter. A gentle spray
is enough.
And just before you leave, have a last
look in the mirror. You know you are
looking great!
Feature executive leisure

by Navan Ignatius covers of a book. “There are crazy Tintin the employee’s desk or at his home.
fans among CEOs and CFOs”. And that Today, apart from Mumbai, the on-

R
eading habits never die. It’s just
that people do not get to see any
books,” says Sunder Nookala.
“They only come across them
in airports or on pavements.” That reali-
sation made Nookala and his friends
Krishnan Madhabushi, Prashant John
and Mithesh Damania launch a cor-
porate library service. The four IIM-
Ahmedabad alumni decided to launch
a company that would help readers get
their hands on any book under the sun.
discovery has helped Kwench make a
business out of reading. Since its launch
in June 2008, it has inked deals with 32
corporate clients, including Yes Bank,
Vodafone, Tata AIG, Ogilvy and Wipro
for library services. Employees of these
companies log on to Kwench’s web-
site and order books online. Within 24
hours, Kwench’s delivery boys, dressed
in smart blue uniforms, deliver them—at
demand library offers services in Pune
and Delhi-NCR, as well. And it has
11,000 titles to choose from. These
books cover 40 categories ranging from
healthcare and ayurvedic remedies to
self-help books, literature, management
and philosophy.
Professional show
It helped that all four in the group have

The Librarians
They called the company Kwench, an
allusion to meeting the thirst for read-
ing. All a reader needed to do was ask
and Kwench would deliver the book
he wanted. The idea was simple: if the
mountain will not come to Mohammed,
Mohammed will go to the mountain.
Nookala became the CEO of this on- Kwench, a Mumbai-based start-up,
demand library.
Starting with just Rs. 36 lakh pooled wants to help corporate
in by friends and family, the four friends
got the ball rolling. They decided to
employees satiate their
launch operations in Mumbai first and thirst for books. And, it
bought 3,500 books, which were stored
in a rented warehouse. Simultaneously,
seems to be on the
they started making cold calls to rope in right page
corporate clients.
The Rs. 36 lakh ran low, but Kwench
found a saviour in the Indian Angel
Network. “Kwench built a unique deliv-
ery platform combining technology
and logistics to bring books and other
learning aids to Indian corporates. We
liked the business model since it has
the potential for geographic scalability,”
says Shankar Maruwada of Indian Angel
Network, which invested an undisclosed
amount in the start-up in March 2009.
He is one of the two people from the
VC fund on the Kwench board.
It took a while for Kwench to
get going. The fact is, many
working folks—Kwench’s tar-
get audience—simply do not
have the time to read books
as much of their day gets taken
up by work. And, in Mumbai,
there is, of course, the interminably
long commute between home, the office
and back. The little time left over, if any,
is spent with the family, watching TV, or
finishing more work on the Internet.
But, says Nookala, 34, many actu-
ally make the time to dive between the
Priyam Dhar/Outlook Group

72 careers 360 September 2009

tons of professional experience behind
them, having worked in global compa-
nies in the areas of finance, consulting,
supply chain and marketing. So, while
the enterprise resulted from gut-feel, it
took shape from a fairly measured view
of the world. Still, to validate their idea,
the four friends decided to have some
reality checks before setting sail. With
the help of their batchmates at IIM-A,
they conducted a survey on the reading
habits of employees. The results were
encouraging.
The team met CEOs, CFOs and HR
heads of different companies they knew,
and discussed their plans with them. The
business model obviously has something
for the corporates. Apart from building
the knowledge base of their employees,
it offered them another way to show
they cared.
Why Kwench? Though many big cor-
porate houses have their own libraries,
Nookala says they are “not well-main-
tained”. Outsourcing their academic and
library requirements to Kwench make
sense as it saves them the operational
hassle. “For us, it was an opportunity to
Shankar
Maruwada
Indian Angel
Network
“Kwench built a unique
delivery platform
combining technology
and logistics to bring
books and other learning
aids to corporates”
73 careers 360 September 2009
help our teams widen their horizons,”
says Gautam Bhushan, Head of Learn-
ing and Development, WNS.
Nookala fondly remembers the day
Tata AIG became a client. “It was fan-
tastic. We had 550 orders the very first
day.” As Tata AIG’s Learning Head, (he
is now with PricewaterhouseCoopers),
Shom Suvro Chatterjee was involved
with roping in Kwench. “We were keen
to foster the habit of reading among
employees,” he recalls.
But getting big clients was not easy. In
the months following its launch, Kwench
managed to rope in just two clients, Yes
Bank and WNS. Worse was to follow as
the world slid into a recession.
“Those were the worst days,” says
Nookala, shaking his head at the memo-
ry. “We had left our jobs and were stuck
at home. Every day we were making des-
perate calls. It lasted till February. From
then on, orders started trickling in.”
Once they had some big names in the
bag, it was a little easier to convince oth-
ers. But figuring out what people want-
ed to read, keeping stocks updated and
maintaining an efficient supply-chain
was difficult. Most of the distributors in
the country still follow primitive meth-
ods. Nookala is hopeful that things will
improve once they move on to a better
technology platform.
Kwench’s proprietary software runs
inventory modules and makes intelligent
recommendations based on the reading
habits of people. The tough days during
the recession were used to put in place
such technological infrastructure, says
Nookala. The company hosts a meet-
ing with users on a quarterly basis for
recommendations and suggestions. And
though Kwench essentially positions
itself as a library, people can also buy
and gift books through its website.
For borrowers, an attractive fea-
ture is the ‘no late fee’ policy.
It has also tied up with the
Harvard Business Review
School of Publish-
ing and Amar Chitra
Katha Group for the
distribution of audio
books. There are no half
measures for the Kwench pro-
moters. “We want to be India’s
Amazon,” says Nookala.
-Outlook Business
Course Review | MSc Nanotechnology

Studying small
particles for a
big career
As miniaturization becomes prevalent, demand for
professionals who master the underlying principles
that enable the process would rise exponentially

Fast Fact
Select Schools: IITs, NITs, Amrita, Amity, SASTRA Courses: MSc/MS/MTech Specialisations:
Nanomaterials, Nanobiotechnology,Nanoeletronics Course fee: Varies from 15K - 1.5 lakhs
Fellowships: Available only for MTech/PhD Career Avenues: Research and development and
application development, in both firms that develop and deploy nanoscale technologies and
applications as well as user sectors like automobiles, aviation, pharma, textiles etc.

by Team Careers360 Material versus molecular

Nanoscientists operate from either of

O
ne millionth of a millimetre or
10-9 m, is a nanometre, and
study of matter at that level
is nanotechnology. Initiated as
an idea by Nobel Prize winning physi-
cist, Richard Feynman in early 1950s,
nanotechnology caught up as a separate
discipline only during the early 90s. The
nanotechnology initiative set up in 2000,
by the US federal government played a
crucial role in providing seed funding
for long-term research in the area. It has
also caught up well in Europe. India was
one of the early entrants in the domain,
thanks to the pioneering work of Prof.
CNR Rao, Linus Pauling Research Pro-
fessor at JNCASR. Says Prof. Rao in
an interview, “India, still has not rea-
lised the full import of a general purpose
technology like nanoscience. It has the
potential to usher in a new industrial
revolution.” The recently announced
National Nano Mission is a step in the
right direction, says Prof. Rao.
these major vantage points. Some are
excited about the behaviour of materi-
als, when brought down to nano levels.
In other words here scientists deal with
reducing materials to nanosizes and
observing the changes in their proper-
ties and behavior. Prof Lubik, a leading
scientist contends that, “material such
as gold, which is chemically inert at nor-
mal scales, can serve as a potent chemi-
cal catalyst at nanoscales. Much of the
“An MTech is a ‘hands
on’ programme where
students become
skilled in the tech-
nology and learn to
apply it to a variety of
biomedical areas”
fascination with nanotechnology stems
from these different phenomena that
matter exhibits at the nanoscale.”
On the other hand, another group of
scientists are interested in using nano-
science to assemble individual atoms
into a desired molecule so as to evolve
molecular-level machines. But research
in this domain is very much in infancy
world over, and India has negligible pres-
ence in the area. But India does operate
in the domain of using the conventional
technologies used to manufacture nano-
materials such as carbon nanotubes and
nanoparticles.

74 careers 360 September 2009


Nanotechnology studies say even anti-cancer genes can be selectively transported into cancer cells
Are you eligible?
A majority of the institutions in the coun-
try offer MTech in nanosceince, and you
have to be either a BTech or BE or hold
a first class Master’s degree in basic or
applied sciences. Different institutions,
depending on the research specialisa-
tions prefer either science or engineer-
ing graduates. So examine the nature of
research in the institution and type of
faculty they have before short-listing the
college. Mostly private universities offer
Master’s level courses in nanoscience,
and generally MSc in nanoscience is
through research as Amity offers. Here
the basic eligibility is either a BTech
or basic degree in Physics, Chemistry
or allied sciences. If you are a science
graduate, it does make sense for you
to do a Master’s in applied sciences
before you go for an MTech degree says
Prof. A. Choudhry, Professor at Cen-
tre for nanoscience at Guru Jambeswar
University of Science and Technology.
According to Prof. Bipin Nair, Dean,
Amrita Centre for Biotechnology, it is
75 careers 360 September 2009
research Centers
■■ National Institute of Pharmaceutical
Education and Research (NIPER),
Chandigarh
■■ Agharkar Research Institute, Pune
■■ National Chemical Laboratory, Pune
■■ National Metallurgical Laboratory,
Jamshedpur
■■ National Centre of Biological Sciences,
Bangalore
■■ Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
■■ Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai
■■ SN Bose National Centre for Basic
Sciences, Kolkata
■■ Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
always advisable to go for an MTech in
nanoscience rather than an MSc, since
an MTech invariably would come with a
fellowship/stipend support.
The best place to pursue a nanotech-
nology Master’s is USA, since the nano
initiative of 2000 has resulted in five
world class centers being set up at Har-
vard, Cornell, Northwestern, Columbia
and Renesseller. Each centre focuses
on one special area. Germany too offers
some good institutions like the centre at
Dresden to work on nanoscience. But
the best place in UK would be either the
Imperial College, which offers a Mas-
ter’s degree by research, or the Univer-
sity College of London, which offers an
MSc in nanotechnology.
Where can you study?
Nanoscience is still evolving in India.
Just over 15 colleges offer programmes
in the discipline. So your choices
are in fact limited. The best place to
study nanoscience is the Jawaharlal
Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific
Research, Bangalore. It has one of the
largest concentrations of researchers
working on different aspects. And the
best part about this institution is entry
is possible at all levels. Exceptionally
bright graduates can enrol for an inte-
grated MS/PhD programme. And the
best part is almost all students get a
stipend of Rs.8,000 per month at least
in the initial years which go up as you
progress. Some of the NITs offer MTech
programmes which are also a good bet,
especially if you are GATE/CSIR/ JRF
qualified candidates. Naresh Yadav, an
Course Review | MSc Nanotechnology

Best Indian institutions Top global institutions

Name Website School Centre Country

Indian Institute of www.nano.iisc.ernet.in Cornell University Center for Nanoscale Systems in Information Technology USA
Science
Northwestern University Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC) for USA
JNCASR www.jncasr.ac.in Integrated Nanopatterning and Detection Technologies
IIT Mumbai www.iitb.ac.in/~crnts/ Harvard University Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center - Science of USA
preamble.html Nanoscale Systems and their Device Applications
Amrita University www.amrita.edu/acns Columbia University Center for Electronic Transport in Molecular Nanostructures USA
Amity University www.amity.edu Rice University Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology USA
NIT Bhopal http://manit.ac.in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Center for Directed Assembly of Nanostructures USA
Guru Jambeswar www.gju.ernet.in
University College of London & London Centre for Nanotechnology UK
University
Imperial College of London
SASTRA University www.sastra.edu/centab/
INL, Braga (wef-2010) Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory Portugal-
IIT Delhi www.iitd.ac.in Spain

IIT Kanpur www.iitk.ac.in/nanosci-

ence/
NIT Kurukshetra www.nitkkr.ac.in
research associate. But these positions material sciences stand a good chance of
are only available for PhD programmes. a vibrant career in all these sectors. Job
NIT Rourkela www.nitrkl.ac.in
opportunities could either be in firms
What do they teach? that develop nanomaterials or in the
Nanoscience is truly interdisciplinary user sectors, as a specialist involved in
SELECT Nanotech in nature. The nature and structure of application development.
Companies in India the course depends upon the area of Nanobiotechnology is a vibrant area,
specialisation that the course focuses though its economic impact pales when
■■ Dabur Research Foundation, Ghaziabad on. Normally the three chief divisions compared to nanomaterials. Some of
■■ Nano Cuting Edge Technology Pvt Ltd, of nanotech are nanomaterials, nano- the areas wherein research is currently
Mumbai
electronics and nanobiotechnology. And happening are nanomedicines, non-
Velbionanotech, Bangalore
■■
the concentration of courses would be invasive surgery, sutureless surgical
Indian Nano (Intellectual property holding
■■
arm of The IndiaCo Group), Pune
a function of your specialisation. For applications, targeted surface medical
■■ Monad Nanotech Pvt Ltd, Mumbai
example, for its MS programme by applications, nanoprobes...the applica-
research, Amity offers courses in bio- tion possibilities are endless. Concludes
■■ Center For advance Research &
Development (CARD), Bangalore sciences, instrumentation, quantum Dr. Jeyaprakash, Asst. Professor, Karu-
■■ Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad concepts and nanostructures, synthesis nya University, “From converting sun-
■■ Cranes Software International Ltd, of nanomaterials etc. in the first two light into power, to targeting a drug to
Bangalore semesters, and students then select an a single malignant cell, from creating
■■ SSb Technology, Mumbai optional paper depending on the domain sensors in the form of biochip to the
■■ U-Shu Nanotech, Vadodara they want to specialize in. As Dr.Shanti ability to produce garments which can
■■ Innovations Unified Technologies, Mumbai Nair, Dean, Amrita Centre for Nano- act as a chemical shield, possibilities are
■■ Forevision Instruments , Hyderabad sciences says, “An MTech is a ‘hands immense in this domain”
■■ Tata Chemicals Innovation centre, Mumbai on’ programme where students learn to
■■ Panacea Biotech, Delhi apply concepts and become skilled in
■■ Lifecare Innovations , Gurgaon the technology and learn to apply it to a
■■ Yesh Nanotech, Mumbai variety of biomedical areas.” Previous Course Reviews
B.Pharm studies - sure shot prescription
Where would you fit in? for jobs
alumnus of NIT, Bhopal says that in There are two major areas where quali-
MSc Environmental Science
terms of facilities, one can never beat fied professionals are in great demand,
Computer Science: Computing your way
the IITs or IIScs, but still his institute nanomaterials, nanoelectronics and into a careers
did have a very good faculty. The IITs nanobiotechnology. Nanomaterials and
Actuarial Science: Where demand always
that have amazing facilities do not yet nanoelectronics are the biggest employ- exceeds supply
offer a formal degree, but you can always er with over USD 100 billion worth MSW: A springboard to professional
enrol for a PhD programme there. The coatings and composites manufactured social work
few private universities like Amrita, for applications in diverse sectors like
Amity and SASTRA offer good facili- automobiles, textiles, aerospace, and www.careers360.com
ties, but are relatively expensive, unless consumer durables amongst others.
you manage to get to work as a project/ Candidates with an MTech/PhD in

76 careers 360 September 2009


Perfect career: when and where
A how-to guide on planning that perfect mid-career move. A must read!
Assessing Your Career: Time for Change?
Ben Ball
Universities Press
Rs. 175
146 pages
by Priya Naik
T
here is a single right career for
each one of us. A good degree
from a great institute, followed
by a fantastic job leads to a
career graph which moves smoothly
upwards. Most people follow a stable
and steady-line career, which ends with
a comfortable retirement.
Rubbish! So says Ben Ball in his
book Assessing Your Career: Time for
Change? In the real world, he points out,
career paths can sometimes turn down-
ward, and a good job doesn’t always
Recommendations
What Colour is
Your Parachute?
Paperback: 456
pages
Publisher:
Ten Speed Press,
2008
A good guide for both freshers and
mid-career executives who want to
change their job. Written in a breezy
‘how-to’ mode, it is a good read.
Book Review Assessing Your Career
mean more money and being confused Career planning steps
about what to do with one’s career is
Assessing yourself Find out what you are
normal. That’s reassuring, because most really good at and focus on
people think they are the only ones that. Make a list.
confused about what to do next in their Researching ideas Envision future opportu-
careers. and opportunities nities. Seek and assess
Ben Ball is a psychologist and has work relevant information. Look
for people who can mentor
experience in career counselling. As the and guide you.
director of the Career Development
Making Gain feedback on your
Unit at the University of Sussex he has connections ideas for career develop-
published books, which is why this book ment. Identify personal
has a very credible feel to it. He looks at priorities.
case studies, examines career dilemmas Taking action Write and carry out an
and offers practical solutions on the art action plan. Communicate
effectively.
of carving out a career. Indeed, Ball
makes an effort to achieve what he has
set out to do: help the reader in address- A useful chapter is What your Employer
ing professional issues, improve work Can Do for You and answers the simple
style and get a job you are good at. question: why should your employer be
In order to do so, the author has com- concerned with your career develop-
piled exhaustive “exercises” to help ment? The author gives plausible advice
analyse yourself and what you should on how to involve your employer in your
be doing. One of the more interesting personal development.
ones is the action plan he draws up for Well-researched and with case studies
a reader and steps on planning your to illustrate real problems, the book is
career (see table). Ball also encourages quite handy in figuring out your careers
the reader to identify what his or her issues. The dense academic language
unique work values are. Does job secu- can be a handicap at times. There are
rity matter more or work that is socially some things however, which one doesn’t
useful? Do you prefer a pleasant work- need to be told. For example, “As recent
ing environment or would you rather research shows, the more ‘decided’ we
have a job where a lot of travelling is can be about our overall career direction,
required? Answering these innumer- the more likely we are to be successful in
able questions, Ball argues, are a way our search for work.” But sometimes we
of ascertaining what sort of a job would need to be told what needs to be and this
suit you the most. book does just that.
Now What?: The I Could Do 1000 Best Job
Young Person’s Anything If I Hunting Secrets
Guide to Choos- Only Knew What Paperback: 496
ing the Perfect It Was pages
Career Paperback: 322 Publisher: Source-
Paperback: 352 pages books, Inc.,
pages Publisher: Dell, 2004
Publisher: Fireside, 2008 1995 A practical guide on how to
The right book to pick up when you A self-help book to discover make impressive résumés
are straight out of college and won- what you want in life and how and other neat tricks to
dering what to do next. to get it. nail the job.
77 careers 360 September 2009
Campus Review Amirta Vishwavidyapeetam

A research university in the

From a single campus college in 1994, Amrita is now a multi-campus, interdisciplinary

Fast Fact
Courses: BA,MBBS,MD BTech,MSc,MBA, MTech,Phd Three faculties - 35 departments. No. of
Seats:Varies between 10 and 150 Campuses: Coimbatore,Kollam,Cochin, Bangalore and Mysore.
Admission: Thorough entrance examination/UGC-NET/GRE/GMAT Placement Services: Available
(claims about 90% placements) Colloborations and Exchange programmes: 14 Nos Course
Fees: From 30K to 2.5 lakhs per annum Sponsered Projects: DST, Princeton, EU and others

by B Mahesh Sarma for nanosciences and Amrita Research

Labs, as well as the engineering school,

‘A
mma’s Grace, Love, Divine
Design’ are unlikely words
one expects to encounter
while discussing ‘patents,
technology transfer, collaborations and
transdiciplinary research’. But, in con-
versations with vice- chancellor Prof.
Venkat Rangan, both sets of words come
with the same level of ease. And in the
course of my interactions, I realize that
Amrita is a secular institution wearing
its spirituality on its sleeve.
What is on offer?
So, from a normal arts and science
degree, to a PhD by research in nanosci-
ences the university has over 100 plus
programmes, offered in five campuses,
all in south India. Set up under the aus-
pices of Mata Amirtanadhamayi Trust,
as an engineering college in 1994, the
institute has grown into a five-campus,
13-discipline accredited university
in the last decade-and-half. Situated
on the foothills of the Anamalai hill
ranges, Coimbatore is set in sylvan sur-
roundings. The facilities are state-of-
the-art, and some of the machines like
the nanoscale fabrication facility are
world class. The library and comput-
ing facilities match up to the levels of
similar universities, though the institute
must consider round the clock access.
An overview of the disciplines and the
campuses is presented alongside (see
table 1). Most of the degrees have joint
disciplinary parents. For example, the
MTech in nano-biosciences has inputs
from the School of Biotechnology, centre
comments Professor Venkat.
The spiritual roots
“Education for a life” is the credo of
the university and the campus takes its
life-building focus very seriously. It is
a 100% vegetarian campus; it does not
serve even eggs. Respect to elders is an
unwritten code, and removing footwear
before entering the class room is a norm.
Students must either be residents of
the campus or stay with their biological
parents and commute as day scholars.
As Ramya, a student claims, “This is
one campus where our parents love it
more than us”. Ramya has reason to
grumble. As a girl student, she gets just
two out passes a month (permission to
go out of the campus). Security is a given
at least within the Coimbatore campus
(the reviewer visited just that campus),
and clearly Hindu cultural values are
sacrosanct in the campus.
How far students imbibe them and
how relevant these values are for their
chosen profession is a debatable point,
but as Dr.Nikhil K Kothurkar, a young
faculty opines, “It is like an oasis, it
establishes that excellent professional
work can be combined with selfless
motives and performed with a sense of
service.” This campus proves the pos-
sibility of such a phenomenon. Concurs
Prof. Parameswaran, Dean Corporate
Relations: “Even during this recession-
ary year, all the IT companies honoured
each one of their offers. And one reason
is the ability of our students to go beyond
the norm and do what is required”
Amrita university has a rich blend of superior
learning experience plus strong placement record
Academics
Ranjit, a third year engineering student,
sums it up: “Like every other univer-
sity, in each semester we have two great
teachers, two average, one mediocre, but
the difference is everybody tries their
best.” Teaching, especially in a campus
where many teachers are residents, hap-
pens both outside and inside the class-
room. Prof. Devanathan says, “We are
taught using examples of the austere
life of resident swamijis, and their work
ethics seeps through to the students and
staff.” Yet anther value-add, is the visit-
ing faculty from foreign schools, but the
quality, duration and level of involve-
ment vary from school to school. While
management students vouch for their
value-adding inputs, students from other
disciplines are not too excited about the
same. But invariably, the possibility of

78 careers 360 September 2009

making
Spread of disciplines across Amrita campuses
Disciplines Coimbatore Amirtapuri Cochin Bangalore Mysore
Allied Health Sciences – – Y – –
Arts & Sciences – Y Y – Y
Ayurveda – Y – – –
institution of higher learning Biotechnology – Y – – –
Communication Y – – – –
Dentistry – – Y – –
Engineering Y Y – Y –
Management Y Y – Y Y
Medicine – – Y – –
Nanosciences – – Y – –
Nursing – – Y – –
Pharmacy – – Y – –
Social Work Y – – – –

spending a semester abroad appears to
be one of the attractive features for most
of the students, though the number (49
last year) is very small as of now.
Getting onboard
Entry into the different programmes
such as MBBS, BDS, BTech and MBA is
through national-level entrance exami-
nation, for other programmes school-
level entrance examinations decide the
admission. A certain percentage of the
seats are reserved for NRIs and PIOs.
Cost of education varies from about
Rs. 35,000 for a general arts or science
degree to Rs. 2.5 lakh per annum for an
MBBS or MBA degree, depending on
the campus. Cost of living, too, varies
from city to city.
Is it a research university?
With just two PhD awards, 90+ research
projects, a cumulative outlay of over Rs.
23 crores, and just over 17% of the total
faculty holding PhD degrees, Amrita as
of now does not present the picture of
a great research school. But as the Pro
Chancellor Brahmachari Abhayam-
rita Chaitanya says, the institute is not
into the number game. He says the
parsimony in award of a PhD degrees
according to him would go a long way
in establishing the research credibility
of the university in the long run. Agrees
a PhD scholar I met at the engineer-
ing school. “It is difficult as hell, but
where else would I get real time proj-
ects like the WINSOC (use of wire-
less sensors for critical applications)?”
The burgeoning international tie-ups
with ivy-league universites also add to
the research potential. But what tilts the
balance in favor of the university is the
presence of a medical school, and a band
of dedicated research professors.
Devotees turned academics
The biggest boon the university has is
the dedicated band of faculty and admin-
istrators who are also ardent devotees of
Amma. It translates into superior learn-
ing experience for the students.
But all great institutions all over the
world, over a period of time, have out-
grown their founders and their religious
overtones. Amrita now presents a cozy
picture of a group of people bound by the
invisible thread of Ámma’. Anybody who
does not believe in her would feel left out
as of now, not by design, but by default.
And that might hinder their ability to
attract talent which is secular, but could
help the growth of the institution.
Where does it all lead to?
Thankfully, the rat race still has not
caught up with the university. The uni-
versity has a very active placement cell,
and the aggressive research tie–ups
(over 90 in number) that offer potential
placement possibilities. The authorities
agree placements are tight, but claim
to place a substantial number,
through campus recruitments and
off campus interviews. As Professor
Parameswaran says, “We work hard
to place even students who have left
the campus, if they are unemployed.”
Jayasurya Pavitran, a first year MBA
student, claims, “The ability to see
things in perspective stands us in good
stead. Placements matter, but a good
work ethic, and the willingness to move
beyond the call of duty matters more.
I know, if I work well, I will get it right.”
Amen !
Previous Campus Reviews
Jadavpur University, Jadavpur
IIIT, Bangalore
TERI University, New Delhi
Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata
Manipal University, Manipal
www.careers360.com

79 careers 360 September 2009

 Scholarship CHARLES WALLACE INDIA TRUST

One-stop fund
for creative
pursuits
Fulfil your academic and artistic ambitions with the
Charles Wallace India Trust awards in arts, heritage
conservation and humanities

Fast Fact
For: Artists, Professionals, Writers, Academics, Journalists Website: http://www.britishcouncil.
org/india-scholarships-cwit.htm Last Date: Depends on programme. Selection Process:
Applications are submitted with research proposals. Shortlisted applicants are interviewed.

by Priya Naik art galleries in the world, fuelled Joy-

oti’s passion further in conservation

J
oyoti Roy’s task is to defy time.
She spends her day lifting old,
priceless and ageless materials,
shaking off their layers of dust and
restoring them to their original splen-
dour. As an art conservator at INTACH
(Indian National Trust for Art and Her-
itage) Joyoti had been working for a
few years on this when she realized she
wanted to look at better conservation
and preservation treatments available
for acrylics. Art conservation as a career,
however, is still new in India. It was then
that she turned to the Charles Wallace
India Trust (CWIT). The Trust is one of
the rare funding bodies, which encour-
ages original research in the finer arts
of life: theatres, art, writing and a host of
other creative arts. The CWIT fulfilled
her ambitions under the fully funded
award for art conservation. Joyoti spent
three months at Tate Britain, London
for her internship on the conservation
of contemporary paintings. Working at
Tate, which is one of the most visited
and also brought about vital changes in
her professional life. Whether it is for a
mid-career or a young professional, the
CWIT is a great way for acquiring expo-
sure and expertise in the field.
What’s on offer and how to get it
The CWIT has a number of funded
programmes on offer (see table). They
vary between three months and year and
between disciplines. They vary between
being fully funded or partly funded
and they also vary between disciplines.
There are programmes on journalism,
on writing, heritage conservation, South
Asian studies etc. The programmes on
offer are niche ones, clearly designed for
someone interested in that specific area
of study. And there is a reason for that.
The CWIT is clear about how it sifts
candidates: they look for passion, com-
mitment and a clear idea about what
you want to do. Drafting a Statement of
Purpose (SoP) is then not about writing
about yourself in pretty words. You need
CWIT scholarships open up many doors, not
just in the UK, to concentrate on your work
to be clear about what and how you are
going to do it.
The CWIT does mention that work
experience bears a factor on the suc-
cess of your application. The Trust is
in fact, designed to help mid-career
professionals to expand their horizons
and learn something different and new.
Swati Pal who completed her PhD in
theatre and has received CWIT support
twice, points out that often the deciding
factor is not work or research experi-
ence but the sincerity of the scholar and
the legitimacy of the research proposal.
The panel examines how far it would
contribute to the growth of knowledge
in that particular area.

80 careers 360 September 2009

 Vikas Dilawari who was a CWIT schol-
ar and is now on the interview panel
for heritage conservation states clearly
what the trust looks for. He points out
that the scholarship aims to select the
person who has a zeal and commitment
towards conservation and this is gauged
from:
l his/her background, academically as
well as professionally
l the course or scholarship he/she is
applying for
l and from letter of intent what the
person intends to do after the course.
The panel reviews this by seeing the
presentation and asking questions.
Swati advises on how to make a clincher
of a proposal. If the scholar could show
evidence of having built up contacts and
a clear plan of action, it underlines the
“Charles Wallace
India Trust is one
of the rare funding
bodies that encourages
original research in
fine arts”
seriousness of the scholar’s intent. Also,
the attitude of the scholar matters. The
proposal must convey his or her dedica-
tion in the pursuit of the subject along
with conviction in the proposal.
The attraction for CWIT is much more
than financial aid for higher studies in
the UK. Joyoti points out that more than
81 careers 360 September 2009
the financial aid it’s a matter of prestige
and honour and people in India also
understand that. The money is rarely
the attraction for prospective applicants.
CWIT also encourages really original
ideas and is willing to take on something
never been worked upon before.
Unplugging creativity
Scholars, artists and academics turn to
the CWIT because it’s sensitive to the
needs of creative people. Writers for
example, love the fellowship of up to
three months which the CWIT offers.
Parismita Singh who was at the Uni-
versity of Kent under the Writer’s Fel-
lowship and is a graphic novelist likes
to call it a “gift of time”. She explains, “A
fellowship is great for someone writing
a book, as most people balance a day job
Scholarship CHARLES WALLACE INDIA TRUST

Name Funding pattern Study areas Deadline

Fully-funded awards in arts and
heritage conservation
Grants for Indian doctoral students
already in the UK
Grants for short academic studies
Fund covers fares, accommodation Management of heritage projects or sites; Conservation of 31st October 2009
and living costs and fees, where paintings and materials such as timber, stone, brick, metal
applicable (including metal structures), textiles, paper, armour, photo-
graphs and film; Management of museums.
£1000 History, literature, archaeology, philosophy, performing and 15th January 2010
creative arts
£1000 History, literature, archaeology, history of art, philosophy, 15th January 2010
performing and creative arts.

or other commitments while writing, Indian academics, translators and writ-

and a fellowship gives you a chance to
get away and concentrate solely on your
work for a few weeks. You have a choice
of interacting with people in the campus,
and sitting in on a talk or a lecture, or you
can just sit and write. These can be ideal
conditions to finish a book, or even begin
one.” Parismita had already published
her graphic novel, The Hotel at the End
of the World (Penguin, 2009). Her time
at Kent helped formalize her thoughts
for her next work, an anthology.
Funding your future
The research grants of up to 1,000
pounds towards costs in the UK can be a
little inadequate given the high expenses
there. Successful scholars therefore pad
up their funding through other means.
Having been a CWIT twice, Swati Pal is
now quite an expert on how to manage
with limited funds. She says, “It’s a good
idea to combine the CWIT funding with
some other scholarship.” When she went
to participate in the community theatre
conference hosted by the University of
Exeter, she managed a UGC scholar-
ship as well. And when she was funded
in 1997 to present a paper at Oxford
University, she stayed with friends, to
cut down on costs.
Finally, the CWIT opens up many
doors, not just in the UK. It’s a way of
making international connections and
having a great platform to share your
intellect with experienced professionals
who have been working in the field. And
finally, it’s a thumbs up for your exper-
tise in the field.
Programmes available
Fully-funded awards in arts and con-
servation: Ten of these are on offer, and
the only awards which are fully funded.
They are strictly for specialists of arts
and conservation with the objective of
international exposure for students in
“The Fund is strictly for
serious research work
with little time for thrills
or frills”
Vikas Dilawari
this field. The Trust encourages appli-
cants who have worked for a while and
frequently professionals also apply.
There are also short term internships at
various places such as the Tate Conser-
vation Department.
Professonal pacement award: This
award in Museology – Curating, Muse-
um Conservation or Archaeology is
in collaboration with the Nehru Trust
for the India Collection at the Victoria
and Albert Museum. This is an annual
fellowship for a curator, museum con-
servator or archaeologist to take up an
attachment at the Victoria and Albert
Museum or any other institute.
Visiting fellowships: These are for
ers to spend three months at a specific
university in the UK.
Writer Fellowship at University of
Kent, Department of English: Three
months’ Writer Fellowship at University
of Stirling, Centre of Commonwealth
Studies.
Translator Fellowships, British Cen-
tre for Literary Translation, University
of East Anglia: Generally two awarded,
both usually from January to March i.e.
two months. There is now no upper age
limit for Translator Fellowships
Iqbal Sarin Visiting Fellowship in
Journalism. Cardiff School of Journal-
ism, Media and Cultural Studies - Three
months. (Focussed, specially on mid
career journalists specialising in aspects
of culture in social life .
Short research or professional vis-
its: Applicants interested in post-doc-
toral studies are preferred. There are
10-15 such grants for academic research
scholars and professionals.
Grants for doctoral studies: These
are for Indians pursuing doctoral stud-
ies at UK universities who are in their
penultimate or final year. Three or four
grants are given every year.
So if you are an art expert or a con-
servation specialist or just interested in
culture, CWIT is the place to go.
Previous Scholarships
Fulbright fellowships for studies in US
Swedish Institute Scholarships
DAAD fellowship for studying in Germany
Erasmus Mundus fellowships for studying
in Europe
Endeavour Programme for studying in
Australia
www.careers360.com

82 careers 360 September 2009

 Ask Us Career choice

A regular MBA is more preferred than one

acquired through distance learning
Q. I am a 34-year-old woman with DOE-
ACC ‘A’ Level diploma. How can I enter
software industry? Should I pursue an
MCA through correspondence or is MBA
(IT) from IGNOU a better choice?
Vineeta, through email
A. ‘A’ Level curriculum is not completely
responsive to the industry needs. So that
by itself may not take you to your desired
objective. If the choice is between two cor-
respondence courses then an MCA is better
than MBA (IT) since in an MCA you would
learn more computing. Also an MCA is the
minimum entry requirement for any software
company. While you are at it, also look for
jobs in small software development organiza-
tions. That would give you real life experience
in managing projects, albeit on a small scale.
Q. I have taken admission in Lovely Pro-
fessional University in MBA Hospital
Management Programme. Give some
information on this university.
Manish, through email
A. LPU is a private university recently set
up. LPU has reasonably good infrastructure.
Being in a tier 2 city, for internships and
live projects, you may have to venture out
of Jalandhar. I would advise you to do your
course well, and look out for small projects
to do, during the course of the programme,
so that you have some ability to apply the
concepts you learn.
Q. I am currently working as an air host-
ess, and pursuing my graduation through
correspondence. My question is:-Is doing
MBA necessary to shift my industry. With-
out doing MBA where else can I apply for
a job/s?
Priyanka C, Bangalore, through email
A. An MBA definitely puts you on a different
orbit, but the orbit is a function of the insti-
tute you study in. First finish your graduation
and during the final year, prepare for CAT
and give it a try. Your percentile would give
you an idea of where you stand. Based on the
percentile decide what you want to do. With
a correspondence degree, it might be very
difficult for you to find a career other than in
the fields you mentioned
where your current work
experience would come
handy. You may also want
to try a creative/off beat
profession where a degree
does not count.
Q. I am a first year
Engineering student.
But I want to change
my stream and pursue
a career in economics. Hospitality as a sector
Are there any reputed colleges offering provides worldclass training
BSc degree in Economics? Or doing B.A
(Eco) is a viable option? Please guide me
in this regard.
Harsh Verma, through email
A. That is a drastic change. There are a whole
lot of reputed colleges offering Economics.
Some IITs, BITs Pilani offer integrated MA
Economics programmes. Please tell us, loca-
tion preferences, your 10+2 marks etc. so that
we will be able to advise you accordingly.
While pursuing
Q. I am a BCom graduate, planning for an MCA always look
MBA in HR or finance, having work expe- for jobs in small soft-
rience of 3 years. Is it advisable to do an
MBA via distance education or part-time?
ware development
Is there any disadvantage? organizations. This
Pragati, through email would give you real
A. Companies still prefer candidates with life experience in
full-time MBA. If you can spare the time
and resources you should do a full-time pro-
managing projects
gramme. If not, a part-time MBA is a good and an opportunity
solution. It helps you keep a job as well. A reg- to apply what
ular MBA is a more preferred degree than a you have learned
distance mode MBA but if it is knowledge that
you are seeking and job is never a problem to
in theory
you then a good DL might work for you.
Q. Please tell me the best institution for
BBA course all over India?
Rahul, Through email
A. There are quite a few colleges which offer
good undergraduate course in business studi-
ies. One of the best courses on offer is from
the Delhi University. Entrance requirements
are very stiff, but the institute boasts of a very
good placement record

83 careers 360 September 2009

Ask Us Career choice
Queries answered on careers360.com
Q. I finished my BTech and wish to join the
army, navy or airforce, please tell me the
opportunities available.
Prakash, through email
Q. I want to know about doing MBA from
Chennai institutes like Dr.MGR Euca-
tional & Research Institute, SSN, SRM
University, Sathyabama University, Karu-
nya University, Nehru colleges. Which is
better - studying in an ordinary university
or deemed university?
Pavin, through email
Q. How and where should I study foren-
sics?
Neha, through email
Q. What is the scope in pursuing an MTech
environment engineering course?
Bensri, through email
Q. What and where can one explore botany
and are there internships available?
Vineet, through email
Q. Which is better - MCA degree or MSc
comp science/IT?
Pallavi Majumder, through email
Q. Tell me about the career prospects in
Vocal Music (Fine Arts)?
Sudipta, through email
Q. What are the job prospects of doing
postgraduate diploma in human rights
programme from IIHR, New Delhi in dis-
tance mode?
Deb, through email
Q. I am a first year Electrical and Elec-
tronics Engineering student. What addi-
tional courses can I do to enhance my
credibility in the job market?
Rohit, through email
Q. I am interested in exploring options for
job-based immigration to Canada. After
having over 6 years of work experience as a
financial analyst, how should I apply?
Sridhar, through email
Q. Is it a good option to do PG diploma in
human resource from ICFAI?
Kjhala, through email
Q. I am working in software industry
and I am planning to do an MBA in real
estate. With 2 years of work experience
and decent GMAT score, which are the
schools I can apply internationally?
Kishan Singh, through email
Q. How can a student get selected in DD or
AIR after doing MJMC?
Jagdeep Singh, through email
Careers360,
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the remuneration of CA, CS, ICWA, MBA of questions every
respectively. month. Some select
Prabhat Sharma, through email
answers are pub-
Q. I have completed my BCA this year lished here. All the
and got selected for the Wipro’s WASE queries are answered
programme. I need to know whether it is on our website. Visit
advisable to go for this course or is it better
to stick to some MCA course from regular
www.careers360.
universities? com and post your
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84 careers 360 September 2009
 Course Alerts scholarship listing un jobs/psu mdp

Ready Reckoner
A compilation of actionable information, segmented and presented on a thematic
basis and sorted out according to their deadlines
course alerts
Programme Discipline Institution Location Deadline Website
MBA International Business Indian Institute of Foreign Trade New Delhi 03/09/09 www.iift.edu
MFSc Fisheries Sciences Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Chennai 04/09/09 www.tanuvas.tn.nic.in
Animal Sciences University
PhD Veterinary Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Chennai 04/09/09 www.tanuvas.tn.nic.in
Animal Sciences University
MPhil Clinical Psychology University of Calcutta Kolkata 07/09/09 www.caluniv.ac.in
Certificate Management Indian Institute of Management Indore 15/09/09 www.iimidr.ac.in
BA/BCom/ General courses under Distance Kurukshetra University Kurukshetra 18/09/09 www.kukinfo.com
MA/MCom/ Education
MSc
PG Diploma Computer Applications Kurukshetra University Kurukshetra 18/09/09 www.kukinfo.com
Appreciation Sustainability Science Indira Gandhi National Open University Delhi 20/09/09 www.ignou.ac.in
Programme
Diploma Computer Aided Product Design University of Pune Pune 22/09/09 www.cadcamguru.com
MBA Rural Management Institute of Rural Management Anand 30/09/09 www.irma.ac.in
Certificate Dairy Management Institute of Rural Management Anand 30/09/09 www.irma.ac.in
Executive PG Management Indian Institute of Management Bangalore 30/09/09 www.iimb.ernet.in
PhD Agriculture and Allied Sciences National Academy of Agril Research Mgt Hyderabad 30/09/09 www.icar.org.in
MBA (DL) Management Jiwaji University Gwalior 30/09/09 www.jiwaji.edu

Name For whom Contact information Amount Deadline

CSIR Diamond Jubilee An Indian team, a company or an www.csir.res.in Rs. 10,00,000 10/09/09
Technology Award 2009 organization responsible for technological
innovations originated in India or that must
have highly innovative Indian component
Mahindra All India Talent Children from lower income group families Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, Rs. 5,000 per year 10/09/09
Scholarships for Diploma having secured admission in government Mahindra Towers 2A, Bikaji Cama
Courses in Polytechnics recognised polytechnics for Diploma Place, New Delhi-66
scholarship

Courses
National Fellowships Students of Basic Sciences, Engineering www.iisc.ernet.in/kvpy Rs. 4,000 - 7,000 per 11/09/09
and Medicine willing to take up research month
careers in these areas
National Olympiad Students from schools registered for http://olympiads.hbcse.tifr.res.in Special merit awards 15/09/09
Programme National Standard Examinations which is
the first stage of the Olympiad Programme
in the respective subjects
Biotechnology Overseas Scientist of Indian origin with PhD, working www.btisnet.gov.in/neof.htm Rs. 50,000 per month 30/09/09
Associateship for in any of the northeastern states of India and contingency grant
Scientists in NorthEast working in different areas of biotechnology of Rs 5 lakhs/year
ICAR-SRF (PGS) Scholars with Master’s degree (55%) in http://www.naarm.ernet.in As applicable to SRF 07/10/09
concerned discipline willing to pursue PhD
in Agriculture and Allied Sciences

85 careers 360 September 2009

 Course Alerts scholarship listing UN Jobs/psu mdp
Position Institution Deadline Location Further Details

Finance Analyst United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) 04/09/09 New Delhi www.undp.org.in
Education Specialist United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) 08/09/09 Gaza www.unicef.org
Health Specialist United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) 08/09/09 Harare www.unicef.org
Adviser (Communication and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural 09/09/09 Tehran www.unesco.org/employment
Information) Organization (UNESCO)
UN JOBS

Program Officer United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) 10/09/09 New Delhi www.unops.org

Economic Affairs Officer
Program Officer Prison Reforms
Consultant
Senior Social Policy Specialist
Assiatant Liaison Officer
United Nations Economic and Social Commission 14/09/09 Bangkok www.unescap.org/jobs
for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) 15/09/09 New Delhi www.humanrightsinitiative.org
Asmae - Association Soeur Emmanuelle/Sevadham Trust 15/09/09 Pune recrutement@asmae.fr
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) 15/09/09 Nairobi www.unicef.org
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural 24/09/09 Paris www.unesco.org/employment
Organization (UNESCO)

Government jobs in India

Organisation Position Location Deadline Website
Triveni Kshetriya Gramin Bank Officer Scale-I (38) Uttar Pradesh 04/09/09 www.tkgbrrb.org
Indira Gandhi National Open University Assistant Registrar (30) Multiple 07/09/09 www.ignou.ac.in
Indira Gandhi National Open University Junior Assistant-cum-Typist (219) Delhi/Regional 07/09/09 www.ignou.ac.in
Indian Space Research Organisation Scientists/Engineers 'SC' (24) Multiple 07/09/09 www.isac.gov.in
Guru Nanak Dev University Faculty members (32) Amritsar 07/09/09 www.gndu.ac.in
Central Electricity Supply Utility of Orissa Management Trainees (26) Bhubaneswar 10/09/09 www.cescoorissa.com
Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board Scientific Posts (50) Multiple 11/09/09 www.icar.org.in
Life Insurance Corporation of India Sr. Marketing Executives-contract (100) Multiple 12/09/09 www.licindia.com
State Bank of India Clerical Staff (11000) Multiple 15/09/09 www.statebankofindia.com
Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University Professor(17), Associate (18), Asst. (26) Delhi 15/09/09 www.ipu.ac.in
Border Security Force Constable-General Duty (1217) UP/Delhi 15/09/09 www.bsf.nic.in
Central Pollution Control Board Assistant Environmental Engineer (12) Delhi 15/09/09 www.cpcb.nic.in
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited Executives/Managers - Law (43) Multiple 16/09/09 www.bhel.com
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited Junior Hindi Translators Mumbai 17/09/09 www.npcil.nic.in
Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics Scientists (not specified) Hyderabad 21/09/09 www.cdfd.org.in
Corporation Bank Probationary Officers (50) Multiple 25/09/09 www.corpbank.com
Corporation Bank Clerks (575) 19 States 25/09/09 www.corpbank.com
Corporation Bank Chartered Accountants (15) Not Specified 25/09/09 www.corpbank.com
Indian National Centre for Ocean Info Services Scientist ‘B’ (7); Scientific Assistants (11) Hyderabad 30/09/09 www.incois.gov.in
High Court of Judicature at Allahabad Assistant Review Officers (468) Allahabad 30/09/09 www.allahabadhighcourt.in

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86 careers 360 September 2009

 Course Alerts scholarship listing un jobs/psu mdp
Institution Name of programme Sept ‘09 Fees (Rs.) In detail
IIM Indore Managing Innovation for Competitive Advantage 07 – 09 25,000

IIM Bangalore Business Analytics and Intelligence 07 – 10 54,000 R&D Management

SJMSOM, IIT Bombay: 17-19 Sept. 09

Managment deveLopment programmes

ASCI Hyderabad Data Analysis for Business Research 07 – 11 27,500
Fee: Rs. 15,000/10,000 for persons
IIM Ahmedabad Hospital Management 07 – 11 65,000 from industry/executives from National
Labs and faculty from academia. The
NITIE Mumbai Managerial Leadership & Team Building 07 – 11
programme targeted at senior/middle-
XLRI Jamshedpur Indian Accounting Standards 07 – 11 29,000 level executives, techno-entrepreneurs
and consultants, focuses on linking R&D
IIM Indore CEO Round Table: Perspectives on Strategy 14 – 16 — with business strategy and measuring
R&D effectiveness as it deliberates on
IIM Kozhikode Analysis of Financial Statements 14 – 16 15,000 emerging issues through case studies.
IIM Lucknow Corporate Communication and Media Relations 14 – 16 25,000

ISB Hyderabad Leadership Skills for Top Management 14 – 18 150,000

IIM Ahmedabad Winning Edge: Comm. Strategies for Leaders 14 – 19 70,000

XIM Bhubaneswar Teamwork Competency for Star Performers 15 – 17 12,000

NMIMS Mumbai Logistic Management 18 – 19 6,000

MDI Gurgaon Finance for Non–Finance Executives 21 – 25 40,000

IIP Chennai Certification for Packaging of Hazardous Cargo 23 3,000

IRMA Anand Rural Livelihoods and Poverty Alleviation 22 – 25 —

CFTRI Mysore Molecular Biology Approches for Microbiological 25 4,494

Studies & Applications
NMIMS Mumbai Basic Statistics for HR Executives 25 3,000

Watch out for Management Development Programmes (MDPs) in October 2009

Institution Name of Programme Dates Mainly for whom Fees in

ISB Hyderabad ISB-Kellogg Global Advanced Leadership Program 03-10 CEO, SBU heads of firms with global business exposure 600,000

XLRI Mumbai Balanced Scorecard-Making it Actionable-process, 05-07 Senior Executives in functional areas covering HR/ 24,000
Methodology & Techniques Marketing/Operations/Finance
ASCI Hyderabad Leadership for Managing Change 05-09 Senior and middle-level executives 30,000

IIM Bangalore Finance for Decision Making for non-finance Mgrs. 05-09 Heads of divisions/functions, middle-level managers 60,000

IIM Lucknow Finance for Non-Finance Executives 05-09 Any executive interested in finance functions -

IIM Ahmedabad Infrastructure Development and Financing 05-10 Senior executives/IAS officers involved in infrastructure 70,000

IIM Kozhikode Valuation of Real Financial and Intangible Assets 12-14 Accounting/finance managers of consulting firms/KPO 15,000

XLRI Jamshedpur Demand & Business Forecasting 12-14 Senior/middle-level managers from any functional area 21,000

XIM Bhubhaneswar DSS for Functional Managers 14-16 Front line managers in decision making in any 12,000
functional area; academics committed to DSS research
IIM Calcutta Mergers and Acquisitions 24-29 Middle/senior executives in the area of corporate 30,000
finance/planning/strategy/M&A/investment banking
IMI New Delhi Supply Chain Mgt for Competitive Advantage 26-28 Decision makers, managers in cross-functional areas 25,200

IRMA Anand Social EntrepreneurshipTransformation Leadership 26-30 Professionals involved in similar line of responsiblities -

MDI Gurgaon Effective Leadership and High Performing Team 26-30 Middle/senior executives in different functional areas 40,000

IIFT New Delhi Cross Cultural communication and Business 28-29 Executives dealing with international trade or business 8,500
Etiquette in International Business
NMIMS Mumbai Situational Leadership for Personal Effectiveness 30-31 Executives who have to play leadership role incl. NGOs 6,000

87 careers 360 September 2009

Up Close RAHUL DRAVID
Where
straight
drive is a way
of life
A committed cricketer, Rahul Dravid discusses how he looks at his profession
Q. Was professional cricket on your
mind when you were in college?
A. I always wanted to be a cricketer. By
the time I went to college I was already
playing Ranji trophy. But I pursued a
commerce degree as a back up .
Q. What do you remember the most
when you think of your school life?
A. The most endearing moments have
come on the field. The moments of tri-
umphs I shared with my friends in the
hockey and cricket team.
Q. Playing cricket is costly. How did
you manage it?
A. I was still in college when I received
my first salary. I was on a contract with
HAL and I was paid Rs. 1,000 as schol-
arship or salary. I got Rs. 900 in hand
because Rs. 100 was deducted for my
Provident Fund. I spent the money on
myself, my bike, and the petrol for the
bike. Actually, going to college and not
asking for pocket money from my par-
ents was a nice feeling.
Q. What’s most satisfying? Profes-
sion of passion or one which pays?
A. You have to love your profession if
you want to have a huge satisfaction
from what you are doing. If you do well
then it pays well. In that case, it becomes
an ideal scenario. You are doing what
you love and getting paid for it too.
Q. Which teacher / professor do you
remember the most and why?
A. My school principal (Father Dennis
Coelha) will always remain very very
special. He encouraged me a lot to do
well in cricket.
Q. How do you overcome failure?
A. By trying to learn from it. A failure
gives me an opportunity to look ahead
and assess how can I can improve. Every
sportsman has to learn to deal with fail-
ures because it is not possible to win
always.
Q. Anything that you fear the most?
A. Nothing.
Q. You belong to the ‘90s generation.
Anything special?
“You have to love your
profession if you
want to have
satisfaction from
what you are doing”
88 careers 360 September 2009
Reuters
A. It was a generation that saw lots
of changes. It saw the nation witness
changes from an older system to tech-
nologically advanced. It was a huge chal-
lenge but they succeeded. It was a great
thrust forward for the entire nation.
Q. How is your previous day like
before a competitive match?
A. As normal as any non-competitive
day. But during the season it mostly
depends on how the team is doing,
on the practice sessions. But I gener-
ally concentrate on staying relaxed and
sleep well.
Q. Your professional life must have
some fascinating and despairing
moments. Can you spell them out?
A. The most fascinating was obviously
the Test debut at Lord’s (in 1996). Get-
ting to play for India was an ambition
that I had pursued and it was such a
thrilling feeling. The biggest disappoint-
ment was being eliminated in the first
round of the 2007 West Indies. It was
shattering.
Q. Would you like to live for fun or
live with a purpose?
A. With a purpose. It is fun if you achieve
your purpose. It is nice to enjoy both
(As told to Urmila Rao)