Power Dress To Impress at Work

It's a hot topic of discussion around the water cooler, during your coffee break, in the elevator and every other realm beyond the purview of the boss's keen eye. Who is getting that raise and promotion? No prizes for guessing that performing well in your appraisal is topmost on your mind! When your every move and word is closely monitored, the terms 'assessment', 'evaluation' and 'review' assume a heightened meaning. And when it is a photo finish between teammates, any amount of sloppiness could have your coworker nosing ahead of you! Thus, it is vital to properly strategise for your own 'visual presentation', ie your appearance. Here's how you can prepare. 1. Brush up on your grooming technique. ~ For men i. Get a new haircut. ii. Get a manicure, pedicure and face cleaning. iii. It is not essential to have a crew cut on the job. But men with longer hair should opt for a slick, gelled-back look. This gives the impression of being freshly showered. iv. For a quick change in the way you look, consider re-styling your facial hair. ~ For women i. For the ladies, even a good hair trim and regular face cleaning/ buffing should do. ii. According to hairstylist Jawed Habib, "Curls are very much in for women, but these work best for the office if worn tied back or short." iii. If you want a quick change in look, try parting or tying your hair differently. 2. Get yourself a signature colour. Haven't got one already? Determine your signature palette now! Colour can go a long way in giving you an identity at work. ~ For men For instance, 24-year old Altaf, an executive with an international travel corporation, swears by white because it has a definite professional air about it. He combines a crisp, white shirt with beige or dove grey pants and a yellow or light blue tie. i. It is a good idea to go beyond blues, greys, blacks and whites and experiment with colour. Make sure, though, that you can carry it off without getting self-concious. For the stylish man, baby pink is the new white. ~ For women i. All pastel shades and medium tones -- like mustard, turquoise blue, deep pink and olive -- are acceptable. Only try striking colours like reds and black if you are comfortable. ii. Figure out whether you prefer 'cool' or 'warm' colours and build your wardrobe accordingly. Blues, greens and purple fall under cool colours. Reds, yellows and browns are warm colours. 3. Dos and don'ts for men! i. Ties and scarves should only be in silk, never polyester. ii. Keep belt buckles plain, even staid. iii. Belts, bags and shoes, socks and trousers need to match across the board! iv. Besides the shoe body, make sure the edges are polished, too, as these turn white over time. v. Slim fitting trousers are appropriate coordinates. Siddharth, 26, a software consultant with a leading technology corporation, swears by single pleated, flat front trousers, as these have a slim cut and less bulk. They fall well with turned up hems. Back pockets without flaps are ideal. vi. Avoid stretch fabrics if possible and capris. 4. Dos and don'ts for women. i. Avoid translucent fabrics for tops, and low-neck or tight-fitting blouses. ii. Cotton or cotten blend shirts work best. iii. Go for stripes, checks and subtle prints. iv. Opt for slim-fitting trousers or long, slim pencil skirts as coordinates. v. Skirts can have either a modest side or back slit. vi Avoid wearing capris, stretch fabrics and short skirts. 5. The finishing touches for women. i. When it comes to jewellery, make sure you do not mix metals. When wearing gold, wear all gold. When wearing silver or platinum, wear all silver/ platinum. Keep jewellery simple and coordinated in design. A chain with a pendant, matching earrings and a bracelet will make you sparkle. ii. Wear a subtle perfume or cologne that suits your personality. iii. Try not to carry your entire world with you in an oversized bag. Invest in medium-sized leather handbags in black, brown and beige to get to the boardroom. iii. High heels are super so long as you can carry yourself well in them. I recommend heels up to an inch or an inch-and-a-half, no more. Now that you are good to go, good luck on your way up! 6. The finishing touches for men. i. Neckties are best worn either solid or patterned with dots or stripes. Keep the stripes simple, narrow and wide-spaced. Learn how to tie the knot properly. Avoid skinny or overtly wide knots. ii. Avoid chunky wallets in your hip pocket -- they look tacky. Not the ideal way to impress the boss with your contacts. iii. Wear a subtle perfume or cologne that suits your persona and doesn't announce your arrival from across the room. iv. If need be, carry a sleek, leather messenger bag in black or dark brown, as opposed to the backpack, boys. v. As mentioned before, formal lace-up shoes will take you up the ladder quicker. Good luck! 7. Dress for the part. i. The old saying that one should dress as per the rank one aspires to, is not unfounded. However this doesn't entail aping the boss or senior's style! ii. Create a distinctive look for yourself, keeping in mind that the effect should be simple but classy. For instance, make a fine statement with a shirt with a cutaway collar or a blue-striped shirt with a white collar and cuff. iii. If you like tailored shirts, add a pair of elegant silver square or rectangular cufflinks on turned-up cuffs. iv. Being meticulous in your attire speaks of self-respect and one who pays attention to details.

Key GD tips, revealed!

Let's go on to how GD is initiated and summarised.

A group discussion can be categorically divided into three different phases:

i. Initiation/ Introduction

ii. Body of the group discussion

iii. Summarisation/ Conclusion

Let's stress on the initiation and summarisation:

Initiation Techniques

Initiating a GD is a high profit-high loss strategy.

When you initiate a GD, you not only grab the opportunity to speak, you also grab the attention of the examiner and your fellow candidates.

If you can make a favourable first impression with your content and communication skills after you initiate a GD, it will help you sail through the discussion.

But if you initiate a GD and stammer/ stutter/ quote wrong facts and figures, the damage might be irreparable.

If you initiate a GD impeccably but don't speak much after that, it gives the impression that you started the GD for the sake of starting it or getting those initial kitty of points earmarked for an initiator!

When you start a GD, you are responsible for putting it into the right perspective or framework. So initiate one only if you have indepth knowledge about the topic at hand.

There are different techniques to initiate a GD and make a good first impression:

i. Quotes
ii. Definition
iii. Question
iv. Shock statement
v. Facts, figures and statistics
vi. Short story
vii. General statement

~ Quotes

Quotes are an effective way of initiating a GD.

If the topic of a GD is: Should the Censor Board be abolished?, you could start with a quote like, 'Hidden apples are always sweet'.

For a GD topic like, Customer is King, you could quote Sam (Wal-mart) Walton's famous saying, 'There is only one boss: the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company -- from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.'

~ Definition

Start a GD by defining the topic or an important term in the topic.

For example, if the topic of the GD is Advertising is a Diplomatic Way of Telling a Lie, why not start the GD by defining advertising as, 'Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services through mass media like newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an identified sponsor'?

For a topic like The Malthusian Economic Prophecy is no longer relevant, you could start by explaining the definition of the Malthusian Economic Prophecy.

~ Question

Asking a question is an impactful way of starting a GD.

It does not signify asking a question to any of the candidates in a GD so as to hamper the flow. It implies asking a question, and answering it yourself.

Any question that might hamper the flow of a GD or insult a participant or play devil's advocate must be discouraged.

Questions that promote a flow of ideas are always appreciated.

For a topic like, Should India go to war with Pakistan, you could start by asking, 'What does war bring to the people of a nation? We have had four clashes with Pakistan. The pertinent question is: what have we achieved?'

~ Shock statement

Initiating a GD with a shocking statement is the best way to grab immediate attention and put forth your point.

If a GD topic is, The Impact of Population on the Indian Economy, you could start with, 'At the centre of the Indian capital stands a population clock that ticks away relentlessly. It tracks 33 births a minute, 2,000 an hour, 48,000 a day. Which calculates to about 12 million every year. That is roughly the size of Australia. As a current political slogan puts it, 'Nothing's impossible when 1 billion Indians work together'.'

~ Facts, figures and statistics

If you decide to initiate your GD with facts, figure and statistics, make sure to quote them accurately.

Approximation is allowed in macro level figures, but micro level figures need to be correct and accurate.

For example, you can say, approximately 70 per cent of the Indian population stays in rural areas (macro figures, approximation allowed).

But you cannot say 30 states of India instead of 28 (micro figures, no approximations).

Stating wrong facts works to your disadvantage.

For a GD topic like, China, a Rising Tiger, you could start with, 'In 1983, when China was still in its initial stages of reform and opening up, China's real use of Foreign Direct Investment only stood at $636 million. China actually utilised $60 billion of FDI in 2004, which is almost 100 times that of its 1983 statistics."

~ Short story

Use a short story in a GD topic like, Attitude is Everything.

This can be initiated with, 'A child once asked a balloon vendor, who was selling helium gas-filled balloons, whether a blue-coloured balloon will go as high in the sky as a green-coloured balloon. The balloon vendor told the child, it is not the colour of the balloon but what is inside it that makes it go high.'

~ General statement

Use a general statement to put the GD in proper perspective.

For example, if the topic is, Should Sonia Gandhi be the prime minister of India?, you could start by saying, 'Before jumping to conclusions like, 'Yes, Sonia Gandhi should be', or 'No, Sonia Gandhi should not be', let's first find out the qualities one needs to be a a good prime minister of India. Then we can compare these qualities with those that Mrs Gandhi possesses. This will help us reach the conclusion in a more objective and effective manner.'

Summarisation Techniques

Most GDs do not really have conclusions. A conclusion is where the whole group decides in favour or against the topic.

But every GD is summarised. You can summarise what the group has discussed in the GD in a nutshell.

Keep the following points in mind while summarising a discussion:

• Avoid raising new points.
• Avoid stating only your viewpoint.
• Avoid dwelling only on one aspect of the GD.
• Keep it brief and concise.
• It must incorporate all the important points that came out during the GD.
• If the examiner asks you to summarise a GD, it means the GD has come to an end. Do not add anything once the GD has been summarised.

10 tips to improve the way you speak English

Many deserving candidates lose out on job opportunities because of their vernacular accent.

Yes, you can. All you need to do is train yourself to speak English as comfortably and perfectly as you speak your mother tongue.

How do you train yourself? By inculcating certain practices in your daily lifestyle. These will get you closer to sounding like a native English speaker and equip you with a global accent -- and you will speak not American or British English, but correct English.

This is the first step to learn any other accent, be it American or British or Australian.

Lisa Mojsin, head trainer, director and founder of the Accurate English Training Company in Los Angeles, offers these tips to help 'neutralise' your accent or rather do away with the local twang, as you speak.

i. Observe the mouth movements of those who speak English well and try to imitate them.

When you are watching television, observe the mouth movements of the speakers. Repeat what they are saying, while imitating the intonation and rhythm of their speech.

ii. Until you learn the correct intonation and rhythm of English, slow your speech down.

If you speak too quickly, and with the wrong intonation and rhythm, native speakers will have a hard time understanding you.

Don't worry about your listener getting impatient with your slow speech -- it is more important that everything you say be understood.

iii. Listen to the 'music' of English.

Do not use the 'music' of your native language when you speak English. Each language has its own way of 'singing'.

iv. Use the dictionary.

Try and familiarise yourself with the phonetic symbols of your dictionary. Look up the correct pronunciation of words that are hard for you to say.

v. Make a list of frequently used words that you find difficult to pronounce and ask someone who speaks the language well to pronounce them for you.

Record these words, listen to them and practice saying them. Listen and read at the same time.

vi. Buy books on tape.

Record yourself reading some sections of the book. Compare the sound of your English with that of the person reading the book on the tape.

vii. Pronounce the ending of each word.

Pay special attention to 'S' and 'ED' endings. This will help you strengthen the mouth muscles that you use when you speak English.

viii. Read aloud in English for 15-20 minutes every day.

Research has shown it takes about three months of daily practice to develop strong mouth muscles for speaking a new language.

ix. Record your own voice and listen for pronunciation mistakes.

Many people hate to hear the sound of their voice and avoid listening to themselves speak. However, this is a very important exercise because doing it will help you become conscious of the mistakes you are making.

x. Be patient.

You can change the way you speak but it won't happen overnight. People often expect instant results and give up too soon. You can change the way you sound if you are willing to put some effort into it.

Quick tips

Various versions of the English language exist. Begin by identifying the category you fall into and start by improving the clarity of your speech.

~ Focus on removing the mother tongue influence and the 'Indianisms' that creep into your English conversations.

~ Watch the English news on television channels like Star World, CNN, BBC and English movies on Star Movies and HBO.

~ Listen to and sing English songs. We'd recommend Westlife, Robbie Williams, Abba, Skeeter Davis and Connie Francis among others.

Books to help you improve your English

• Essential English Grammar by Murphy (Cambridge)
• Spoken English by R K Bansal and J B Harrison
• Pronounce It Perfectly In English (book and three audio cassettes) by Jean Yates, Barrons Educational Series
• English Pronunciation For International Students by Paulette Wainless Dale, Lillian Poms

6 'soft' skills you need for success

reputed software company in India is all geared up for a client visit.

The clients have indicated that, after inspecting the progress of the project they have outsourced, they would like to meet the team members working on it.

Why? To select one team member for a stint onsite -- something almost every software engineer aspires for.

Ravi has been one of the most active members in the project and has done a wonderful job. He is technically brilliant, but has some concerns:

• Will he able to communicate his performance to the client in an impressive manner so that he is chosen?
• Why do his team mates not prefer to come to him for solutions and go to less capable people instead?
• His project manager doesn't seem to be very warm towards him either, although he does drop in those occasional mails appreciating his work.

Here is a typical scenario in an IT company; or for that matter, any organisation where interpersonal communication is involved. Or, like in Ravi's case, where an employee suffers from a lack of interpersonal skills.

Are technical/ job-related skills enough?

Technical and job-related skills are a must, but they are NOT sufficient when it comes to progressing up the ladder.

With the traditional paternalistic style of leadership becoming pass�, professional managers expect their teams to be proactive and communicate openly.

"Soft skills are very important in business. It is essential to be technically sound, but one should also have the ability to convey the idea to the masses in the simplest possible manner," says Mayurkumar Gadewar, an ERP consultant with Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

With the boom in outsourcing taking root across industries, many professionals and subject matter experts directly deal with their clients on a regular basis.

Their approachability and people skills are what ultimately sustain the contract their employers have bagged.

"Planning is necessary but execution is also equally important. And it takes soft skills to execute any idea because it involves dealing with people directly," says Gadewar.

6 soft skills for every hard-nosed professional

Behavioural training experts say there are several soft skills are required in these circumstances. Some of them include:

i. Interpersonal skills

ii. Team spirit

iii. Social grace

iv. Business etiquette

v. Negotiation skills

vi. Behavioural traits such as attitude, motivation and time management

Do you have these? If your answer is yes, good for you.

But if your answer is no, then you know it is time to approach either a training organisation or a training consultant.

Will formal training enhance your soft skills?

There is a lot of argument in the industry as to whether it is possible to enhance soft skills in a few hours of training, especially when one considers the fact that a person has lived with those traits all his life. To this, the answer is harsh but real -- a professional who wants to do well in his/ her career does not really have a choice.

In the initial years of your career, your technical abilities are important to get good assignments. However, when it comes to growing in an organisation, it is your personality that matters, more so in large organisations where several people with similar technical expertise will compete for a promotion.

Training on soft skills becomes all the more relevant in a country like India where the education system does not delve into personality development.

"Soft skills training is essential because we do not have it in our academic curricula. Therefore, corporate houses have to take up the task of grooming employees who are the link between the company and the external world, so that they are able to present themselves better, " says Sumeet Mehta, an equity research analyst with Fortis Securities Ltd.

Be your own trainer!

While organisations are definitely investing in augmenting their staff's people skills, here are some inputs for professionals and students who would like to initiate the process themselves:

i. Be a part of team activities

It could be either as a part of your church choir, or an NGO, or your local youth circle.

Observe your own behaviour in the group and how you relate to others.

ii. Ask family members or close friends to write down your best and worst traits.

Ideally, have at least four to five people do this for you.

Evaluate the common traits all of them have mentioned. Thus, you can be aware of your strengths and work improving your weaknesses.

iii. How well do you manage your time?

Think.

Can you do more in life? Or is your day too crammed with activities? Effective time management is very essential in the corporate world.

iv. Introspect on how you react to feedback.

In organisations, people skills mostly come into the picture when there is feedback given -- be it for an idea, an executed project or a presentation.

You are judged by the way you respond to feedback.

Do you get defensive?

Do you insist you were right?

Do you meekly accept criticism?

Remember, people tend to be judged and stereotyped according to their responses. You will, too.

v. How good are you at critiquing?

While responding to feedback is one side of the coin, giving feedback is the other side.

Are you aggressive? Pessimistic? Do you believe in constructive criticism? Or prefer to be the yes-man?

vi. Live consciously

Any organisation is manned by people, therefore soft skills are all about how you deal with people and present yourself.

Though it may be easier said than done, soft skills can be enhanced simply by being aware of oneself and living consciously.

Eight leadership mantras!

These strong words drove him for 23 years and seven days during his tenure with Mudra.

The result: Mudra Communications went from a one-client agency to one of the best agencies in the business.

AG chronicles the story of his success in his recently released book, The Invisible CEO.

The book features AG's journey -- the beginnings, the ups, downs, learning curves and the successes -- and showcases a selection of his personal favourites from the Mudra portfolio, and why he liked them.

As for budding young professionals and future CEOs, here are AG's mantras to succeed in your career.

1. Guts and courage

To be successful and rise in the professional echelons, you must have the guts and courage to stand up for what you believe in. That is the mettle any aspiring CEO must be made of.

Take responsibility for issues and settle them amicably, and fast.

2. Infuse energy into your work

We tend to use only 10 per cent of the energy God gave us. Invest this energy in your work.

Go about every day with passion.

I worked tirelessly from nine in the morning to 12 at night, for six-and-a-half days in the week, and it paid off.

3. Being seen and heard

While many of his counterparts were blazing the party circuit in Mumbai, AG's style was radically different.

He chose to stay in Ahmedabad, focusing his energies in working hard, inspiring his team and building the Mudra legacy from scratch. Hence the title of his book, The Invisible CEO.

The word 'invisible' stems from his preference to maintain a low profile.

4. An advertising mantra

In an age where production values have improved by leaps and bounds, there is a tendency for the product to get lost. The challenge lies in making an ad that will inspire the viewer to buy the product, and not just say, "Wow, what a fabulous ad!" and proceed to purchase another brand.

5. What do you want to achieve?

Understand what you desire to achieve and stay focused on your goal, always.

6. Are you proud of being Indian?

Even as the advertising world looks towards the West for inspiration, the Mudra mantra was to be indigenous all the way.

Let your Indianness shine through your work.

7. Look after your people

Give the people under you the chance and the opportunity to grow.

Take care of their needs because your people are your strength.

8. Dare to dream BIG

Dhirubai Ambani, my mentor, taught me to dream big.

That is my advice to all young professionals. Dream big. The bigger the dream, the better.

3 golden rules for effective communication

ave you been wondering how to put together an impressively-phrased Powerpoint presentation?

Have you been wondering how to compose an e-mail that captures your strategies and goals effectively?

It is time you did something about it.

As a young professional in today's global business world, it is imperative that you are competent in both oral as well as written communication.

Important forms of oral communication at the workplace include:

• Building interpersonal relationships.
• Giving presentations and debating viewpoints effectively.

You need to master oral skills for both in-person and over-the-phone interactions.

Similarly, important written communication includes:

• Writing professional e-mails (sans SMS slang).
• Putting together concise reports.
• Creating visually powerful Powerpoint presentations.

And the key to acing oral and written communication is to spruce up your communication skills. And it is a lot easier than you think.

Here are some easy tips to do it on your own:

1. Improve pronunciation and diction

There are a few tricks to making a vernacular accent more globally understandable.

~ Try making sure that 'air' comes out of your mouth when saying the letters, 'T, P, K' and the sound 'Ch'.

~ Focus on elongating your vowel sounds. This will also automatically slow down your rate of speech.

~ Sing English songs out loud!

~ Watch news shows on channels like CNN and BBC.

~ The web site www.m-w.com is great for pronunciation help.

~ I would also suggest buying books on pronunciation and language that come with audio cassettes.

A good book that I found really useful was Better English Pronunciation by J D O'Connor. It is part of the Cambridge series, and some of those books come with cassettes.

2. Spruce up your writing skills

~ Believe it or not, you have to Read More!

~ Well-written magazines, like The Economist and India Today, are great to read not only to improve language skills but also to learn more about the world.

~ In terms of books, read what interests you. The basic goal is to read as much as you can.

There are a plethora of good authors who are popular today. Some good writers whose language is easy to follow include Vikram Seth, Jhumpa Lahiri, Paulo Coelho, J D Salinger, Albert Camus and Roald Dahl.

~ People tend to forget basic grammar when writing e-mails. An e-mail is nothing more than a letter which is sent electronically.

Make sure salutations and content are professional. Use special phrases when attaching documents. For example, "Please find attached with this e-mail a report on..." This helps you sound professional.

3. Five exercises to practise every day!

i. Pretend you are a newscaster and read out the newspaper to your mirror.

ii. Do not read local newspapers. Focus on national newspapers.

iii. While reading a book, underline all the words you do not know. Look them up in the dictionary.

iv. Make a list of these words, and make sure you use at least five of them in a conversation during the day.

v. Most important, make an effort to speak in English to your friends and family

Are you good at group discussion?

ave you ever seen a football game?

Or been a part of a football team?

These questions might seem awkward and absurd when talking about How to crack a Group Discussion to get into a top B-School.

But they are relevant to understand the nuances of a Group Discussion.

Just reiterating the clich� that a Group discussion, or GD, as it is commonly called, is a group process or a team building exercise does not help students.

As in a football game, where you play like a team, passing the ball to each team member and aim for a common goal, GD is also based on team work, incorporating views of different team members to reach a common goal.

A Group Discussion at a B-School can be defined as a formal discussion involving ten to 12 participants in a group.

They are given a topic. After some time, during which they collect their thoughts, the group is asked to discuss the topic for 20 to 25 minutes.

B-Schools use the GD process to assess a candidate's personality traits.

Here are some of the most important personality traits that a candidate should possess to do well at a GD:

1. Team Player

B-Schools lay great emphasis on this parameter because it is essential for managers to be team players.

The reason: Managers always work in teams.

At the beginning of his career, a manager works as a team member. And, later, as a team leader.

Management aspirants who lack team skills cannot be good managers.

2. Reasoning Ability

Reasoning ability plays an important role while expressing your opinions or ideas at a GD.

For example, an opinion like 'Reduction in IIMs' fees will affect quality' can be better stated by demonstrating your reasoning ability and completing the missing links between fees and quality as:

'Reduction in IIMs' fees will result in less funds being invested on study material, student exchange programmes, research, student development activities, etc.

'Moreover, it costs money to attract good faculty, create good infrastructure and upgrade technology.

'With reduction in fees, less money will be available to perform these ,activities which will lead to deterioration in the quality of IIMs.'

3. Leadership

There are three types of situations that can arise in a GD:

~ A GD where participants are unable to establish a proper rapport and do not speak much.
~ A GD where participants get emotionally charged and the GD gets chaotic.
~ A GD where participants discuss the topic assertively by touching on all its nuances and try to reach the objective.

Here, a leader would be someone who facilitates the third situation at a GD.

A leader would have the following qualities:

~S/he shows direction to the group whenever group moves away from the topic.
~S/he coordinates the effort of the different team members in the GD.
~S/he contributes to the GD at regular intervals with valuable insights.
~S/he also inspires and motivates team members to express their views.

Caution: Being a mere coordinator in a GD does not help, because it is a secondary role.

Contribute to the GD with your ideas and opinions, but also try and steer the conversation towards a goal.

4. Flexibility

You must be open to other ideas as well as to the evaluation of your ideas: That is what flexibility is all about.

But first, remember: Never ever start your GD with a stand or a conclusion.

Say the topic of a GD is, 'Should India go to war with Pakistan?'

Some participants tend to get emotionally attached to the topic and take a stand either in favour or against the topic, ie 'Yes, India should', or, 'No, India should not'.

By taking a stand, you have already given your decision without discussing the topic at hand or listening to the views of your team members.

Also, if you encounter an opposition with a very strong point at the 11th hour, you end up in a typical catch-22 situation:

~If you change your stand, you are seen as a fickle-minded or a whimsical person.
~If you do not change your stand, you are seen as an inflexible, stubborn and obstinate person.

5. Assertiveness

You must put forth your point to the group in a very emphatic, positive and confident manner.

Participants often confuse assertiveness with aggressiveness.

Aggressiveness is all about forcing your point on the other person, and can be a threat to the group. An aggressive person can also demonstrate negative body language, whereas an assertive person displays positive body language.

6. Initiative

A general trend amongst students is to start a GD and get the initial kitty of points earmarked for the initiator.

But that is a high risk-high return strategy.

Initiate a GD only if you are well versed with the topic. If you start and fail to contribute at regular intervals, it gives the impression that you started the GD just for the sake of the initial points.

Also, if you fumble, stammer or misquote facts, it may work against you.

Remember: You never ever get a second chance to create a first impression.

7. Creativity/ Out of the box thinking

An idea or a perspective which opens new horizons for discussion on the GD topic is always highly appreciated.

When you put across a new idea convincingly, such that it is discussed at length by the group, it can only be positive.

You will find yourself in the good books of the examiner.

8. Inspiring ability

A good group discussion should incorporate views of all the team members.

If some team members want to express their ideas but are not getting the opportunity to do so, giving them an opportunity to express their ideas or opinions will be seen as a positive trait.

Caution: If a participant is not willing to speak, you need not necessarily go out of the way to ask him to express his views. This may insult him and hamper the flow of the GD.

9. Listening

Always try and strike a proper balance between expressing your ideas and imbibing ideas.

10. Awareness

You must be well versed with both the micro and macro environment.

Your awareness about your environment helps a lot in your GD content, which carries maximum weightage.

Caution: The content or awareness generally constitutes 40 to 50 percent marks of your GD.

Apart from these qualities, communication skills, confidence and the ability to think on one's feet are also very important.

WINNER VS LOSER

#Winners have dreams;
Losers have schemes.
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#Winners see the grains;
Losers see the pain.
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#Winners see the potential;
Losers see the past.
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#Winners make it happen;
Losers let it happen.
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#Winners see possibilities;
Losers see problems.
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#Winners makes commitments;
Losers makes promises.
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#Winners are a part of the team;
Losers are apart from the team.
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#Winner always has a programme;
Loser always has an excuse.
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#Winner says "Let me do it for you";
Loser says "That is not my job".
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#Winners say "I must do something";
Losers say "Something must be done".
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#Winner is always a part of the answer;
Loser is always a part of the problem.
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#Winner sees an answer for every problem;
Loser sees a problem for every answer.
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#Winners believe in win/win;
Loser believe for them to win, someone has to lose.
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#Winner says "It may be difficult but it is possible";
Loser says "It may be possible but it is too difficult".
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#Winner makes a mistake. he says "I was wrong";
Loser makes a mistake, he says "It wasn't my fault".

Value of Time

Value of Time

To realize the value of thirty years,
Ask a old female who recently lost her husband.

To realize the value of five years,
Ask a newly divorced couple.

To realize the value of one year,
Ask a student who has failed a final exam.

To realize the value of nine months,
Ask a mother who gave birth to a still born.

To realize the value of one month,
Ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

To realize the value of one week,
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize the value of one hour,
Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

To realize the value of one minute,
Ask a person who has missed the train.

To realize the value of one-second,
Ask a person who has survived an accident.

To realize the value of one millisecond,
Ask the Runner who had to settle for a silver medal in the Olympics.

Time waits for no one.
Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more when you can share it with someone special.
Forget the past n future, Live for today....

Online CV

Ways of Putting your CV online...

In a technology-enabled world, even your resume has to be tailored to find a good job. Most companies prefer receiving job applications via e-mail, as it is convenient, simple and also environment-friendly.

While traditional techniques like sending a properly formatted, professionally written and eye-catching resume printed out from a computer remains relevant, a Web-based format will enhance your possibilities of finding a good job. This format refers to your approach to resume-preparation based on how you want it to be delivered to the recipient. We highlight a few formats you must consider:

Text-based CV (also known as ASCII)

A simple version that can be pasted directly into the body of an e-mail. ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a code for representing English characters as numbers, with each letter assigned a number from 0 to 127. The format is simplistic and the focus has to be on content. Most computers use ASCII codes to represent text, which makes it possible to transfer data from one computer to another.

As this is a text-based resume, try not to make it flashy. The resume should be readable and any computer system can read a file in this format. The downside is its universal acceptance limits your ability to use graphics and special fonts like italics, etc.

Tip: This format is best suited for non-creative jobs like manufacturing, operations, engineering, technical support, etc.

Scan-able CV

This kind of a resume can be run through a scanner that has character recognition capabilities. The employer can store your resume in their database and search it using key words for any future openings.

Put your name at the top of each page if your resume exceeds one page. Use industry or job-specific keywords so your resume is easily searchable within the database. Some keywords, for instance, could be 'market research', 'sales consultant', 'project manager', 'result oriented', etc. Avoid any graphics or images in this kind of a resume, as it may make scanning difficult.

Tip: This format works best when applying for jobs directly on the company's portal. Your resume gets stored in the company's database, so ease of search must be given the highest priority.

Personal Resume Web site

A very convenient way of sharing (and showing off) your skills, accomplishments and abilities is by creating a personal resume Web site. This doesn't need to be a very complicated site, but it should display your work favourably. It can include articles you have written, artwork and photography you have created, or software you have developed. You can even provide links to reports, papers, studies, brochures, projects, presentations, testimonials, letters of recommendations, any kudos you have received -- from customers, clients, colleagues, past employers, professors, etc. The biggest advantage is having your resume available 24/7 to all potential employers.

A number of sites host Web pages. To find some, try Free Web Space.

Tip: This format is best suited for creative professionals like Web site designers, animation and design professionals, etc.

CD Portfolio

A digital copy of your portfolio can easily be burnt on to a CD that can be used in the CD-ROM drive of a potential employer. A CD can easily fit into your briefcase or bag and you will have a resume that will be on the move with you. Moreover, you will not have to struggle with carrying around a tremendous, oversized binder, or a huge case filled with your samples.

Tip: This format works best if you are an artist, photographer, fashion designer, model, etc and you need to demonstrate a portfolio or body of work to a prospective employer or client.

Word or PDF attachment

If you want to e-mail a fancier version of your resume to an employer by attaching a Word document or Acrobat PDF file, go right ahead. Just make sure the file is of a reasonable size (100K or less) and you still include the plain-text version in the body of your e-mail, just in case your recipient can't open or print the attachment. In case of a PDF file, make sure the font size is a minimum of 14 or readability will take a backseat.

Tip: The benefit of this resume is it is highly compatible and consistent in appearance across platforms, though difficult to place directly into databases. Check out Web-based resumes of Alex Bischoff, a freelance designer.

An online friendly resume will project you as a candidate who takes initiative, is tech savvy and has relevant skills. It will also open multiple doors for you in an extremely competitive job market.

Founder - Sabeer Bhatia

Sabeer Bhatia

Sabeer Bhatia is a co-founder of Hotmail and an entrepreneur.

Biography -

Sabeer Bhatia was born in Chandigarh, India in 1968. His father, Baldev Bhatia, started as an officer in the Indian Army and later joined the Indian Ministry of Defence, while his mother, Daman Bhatia, was a senior official at the Central Bank of India. Bhatia was schooled at the St. Joseph's Boys' High School in Bangalore. He started his undergraduate education at the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, BITS, Pilani and transferred to Caltech after two years at BITS. After graduating from Caltech, Sabeer went to Stanford to pursue his MS in Electrical Engineering. At Stanford, he worked on Ultra Low Power VLSI Design.

At Stanford, he was inspired by entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs and Scott McNealy eventually deciding to become one himself. Instead of pursuing a PhD after his Masters, he decided to join Apple.

Founder of Hotmail -

After a brief stint at Apple, Sabeer joined a startup company called Firepower Systems Inc, where he spent two years. At this point, Sabeer started working on new ideas for the Internet and he teamed up with Jack Smith, a colleague from Apple Computer, Inc.

The two came up with the concept of a web-based database entitled Javasoft. While pursuing this idea, they subsequently realised the potential of a web-based e-mail system and thus decided to create one called HoTMaiL (the uppercase letters spelling out HTML - the language used to write the base of a webpage).In order to attract attention, the e-mail service was provided for free and revenue was obtained through the advertising on the website. Draper Fisher Ventures invested $300,000 on the project and the service was launched on July 4, 1996.

In less than six months, the website attracted over 1 million subscribers. As the interest in the web-based email provider increased, Microsoft eventually took notice and on December 30, 1997, Hotmail was sold to Microsoft for a reported sum of $400 million.

Other Ventures -

After selling Hotmail, Bhatia worked at Microsoft for about a year and in April 1999, he left the company to start another website, Arzoo Inc, which was shut down when the dot-com bubble burst. In 2006, he relaunched Arzoo as a travel portal.

He started (alongside co-founders Shiraz Kanga and Viraf Zack) BlogEverywhere, a website attempting to capitalise on the emerging blogosphere.

In November of 2007, he released an online office alternative to Microsoft Office, called Live Documents.[2] This application allows users to use their documents both offline and online, edit, collaborate and share documents in real-time with others, and sync documents between various computers and users. Users can also download their Microsoft Office plug-in, which allows them to get the best of offline and online offices suites, along with full compatibility for all office document formats.

He also pushed for a project enabling access to the internet through cable television in Indian homes. However, due to bureaucratic problems it is very unlikely that this will reach completion. Future plans of his include the development of a new city in India by the name of Nanocity. The aim of Nanocity is to replicate the vibrance and eco-system of innovation found in the Silicon Valley.

Awards -

"Entrepreneur of the Year," Awarded by the venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson (1997) Named to the "Elite 100," Upside magazine's list of top trendsetters in the New EconomyRecipient of the "TR100" award, presented by MIT to 100 young innovators who are expected to have the greatest impact on technology in the next few years Selected by the San Jose Mercury News and POV magazine as one of the ten most successful entrepreneurs of (1998) Named by TIME as one of the "People to Watch" in International Business (2002).