MAY 23rd

- MAY 28th

Soft Skills – An Essential part for a Successful Career

The importance of soft skills has been acknowledged by all the corporate houses. Mere hard skills can’t

make a person employable and also doesn’t enable him/her to

sustain in the professional life. Along with hard skills various soft

skills are also required to mark an impression in the workplace.

Soft Skills have become necessary for a person who has career

aspiration and is looking for a leadership role in his/her

profession. People are judged on their attitude and how smartly

they handle different & difficult situations. In this competitive

era, having the required soft skills will give them an edge over

others in the corporate arena.

Some of the Soft Skills are mentioned herewith which an individual should possess for his/her

successful career growth:

Interpersonal Skills

An individual should have good interpersonal skills in order to become a team leader. It’s one’s

responsibility to handle interpersonal conflicts, personality clashes and other issues related to the

people around. One should be able to analyze the differences in peers and take impartial decisions. For

example, a healthy & formal interaction among the employees in an organization encourages

increased productivity. In this age of globalization, it is necessary to have interpersonal skills to work

efficiently with people across the world from varying cultures.

Presentation Skills

An employee in today’s competitive world needs to be a good presenter. Every area of corporate life

requires presentation. It can be presenting before existing or prospective customers, suppliers, media

or people within the organization. It is very important to have necessary presentation skills to present

the service, plan or product before the audience. One should customize one’s presentation according

to the audience.

Etiquette

Etiquette refers to the socially accepted behavior and manners to be followed in formal situations. It

includes office manners, dining etiquette and procedures to be followed in different situations.

Etiquette differs according to the cultures and nations. But there are certain common features which

are generally accepted across the world. For example; giving respect and being gentle with elderly

people and ladies, taking care of the guests, being gentle and polite in our words and movements,

eating without making loud noise, etc. All this should be taken care of in personal as well as

professional life.

Team Spirit

Team efforts are appreciated by every company these days. All kinds of work demand united approach

and mutual help towards reaching the goals. It has been noticed that when people from different

backgrounds and ways of thinking come together, lot of brain storming takes place, which eventually

leads to creative ideas.

Right Attitude

In companies, positive attitude is considered to be the right attitude. During hiring freshers with right

attitude are preferred over those with mere subject knowledge. If a person has less subject knowledge,

it can be provided in induction and training programs, but if a person has negative attitude towards his

work and organization, his/her subject knowledge becomes useless and ineffective in the workplace.

By regular practice of all the above mentioned skills, one can excel on both personal and

professional fronts.

Daljeet Chopra

Public Relations Officer

i360 Staffing & Training Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

EDUCATION: KNOWLEDGE OR EXPERIENCE?

“Education”, yes we all are familiar with this word but let’s talk

about this word on a broader spectrum. We know that education

means knowledge but what is it? Why is it necessary? Is it just

knowledge or is there some experience involved? We’ll answer all

these questions in the following discussion but let’s first learn what

education is.

Literally, education means the accumulation of knowledge, skills

and values from the world/ society around us and from some institutions by the knowledge providers

known as teachers. Yes you are right! Education starts at home but here it’s more about ethics and

moral values but the formal education is imparted at specific institutions.

Let’s classify education into some sub categories. Education can be professional, vocational or

informal. So, let’s divide it into two categories: informal and formal.

Informal education:

As we can guess it by its name this type of education doesn’t follow any rules or regulations. The

informal education is casual in nature and isn’t according to any prescribed or customary manner

rather it’s more irregular and relaxed. This is the learning that goes in the daily life - in our society and

with the people around. Yes, we have already mentioned it above, it is the one that starts at home and

teaches moral values. In the informal education the first teacher is generally the mother. From this

type of education we learn values like honesty, loyalty, respecting our elders, religious customs, culture

etc. It is self explanatory that the informal education doesn’t follow any syllabus and can differ with

families, traditional values or culture.

In the informal education a father can teach his child his own vocation or some ancestral work. The

training takes place at home and not at some professional institution. The informal education might

help choose any career option but basically it helps us to become a good human being. With this type

of education we learn social mannerism and it imparts in us the knowledge of how to behave in our

social circle. The fact remains that we aren’t certified or provided with any professional degree. You

are again right! The informal education plays a very important role in shaping up the character of any

person.

Formal education:

A formal education program is the process of training and developing people in knowledge, skills,

mind, and character in a structured and certified program. Formal education starts at kindergarten!

The Formal education teaches us the rules to read and write. Here the students are given the

knowledge targeting on different subjects such as mathematics, science, history, law etc. This is to

enhance the subjective knowledge of the students. This type of education is quite customary in its

manner and it also follows some rules and regulations.

Here the students are provided with a prescribed syllabus

and their skills are analyzed through examinations at the

end of each term.

At an initial stage the formal education is common for all

where the students learn some basic survival skills but as

the level graduates the candidates have to choose some

stream of specialization. So, at higher level the candidates

steps into specific fields like medicine, archeology, finance, law, technology, etc. So the formal

education, particularly, helps in choosing a career option and to give a way to one’s life. So we can say

that unlike informal education, the formal education follows a particularly prescribed or modulated

syllabus and the candidates are provided with some degrees or certificates at the end.

Here we end up answering the meaning and the types of education… but the next question that rises

here is that what is the importance of education?

Education is necessary for all of us. Education helps us to get a good position in the society. If we are

educated we can become a successful person. Educated person can understand each others feelings

easily. They can become self dependent. They can take right decision. Educated person can make a

bright career. They can face every problem bravely. They can communicate to others without

hesitation. They can think about their responsibilities. Educated person can get good jobs. We can not

become a doctor, teacher, lawyer engineer etc. without education. If we want to become some of

these we need a professional degree. So education is very necessary for us.

Educated person can improve their personality and they can also become global. They do every work

systematically. Education is also very important for the economic and social development of a country.

Every citizen should be educated in a country because it is necessary for country’s progress. So

education is very important for all of us and we can say that without education a man is no less than an

animal.

One can say that the formal education can be termed as knowledge and the informal education as

experience …but, can experience make up for the lack of a degree, or a degree providing something

that experience cannot? Is one more valuable than the other? Talk about a discussion that will have

you chasing your tail! It's truly a trap topic because there is no right answer. A complex issue such as

this will rarely have a simple answer because of the numerous variables mentioned. Personal

experience, moral and institutional education, continues to balance each other into the future so much

as it has influenced us in the past.

Tarun Batra

Product Manager- Academics

i360 Staffing & Training Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

How to Choose a Career after High School

Sanju has just completed his high school education with good grades. His

subjects were Accountancy, Economics, Math and Business Studies. He has

scored equally well in all subjects, and hence, the problem before him is to select his further career.

He is wondering whether he should major in the Finance field or choose Information Technology.

What do you think he should do?

Like, Sanju many students are seen searching for an answer for the biggest question before them –

how to choose a career after high school. Choosing the right career after high school is important

because a person has to work in his area of graduation after passing out of university, and if he is not

interested in that particular field, then his progress will be very slow. Many a times, students are not

able to realize their interests, hidden talents and inclinations, and that is why a career test for high

school students has assumed significant importance.

Considering the following few points before choosing a career will help you land at the best

destination:

Your Interests

In high school, you study a variety of subjects. So, it becomes easy for you to find out which subjects

you like and which you don't. One thing I would like to suggest is that you should not link your interests

with your marks/score all the time. It may happen that you end up scoring more in a subject which you

do not like, and you do the mistake of opting for a specialization in it

later on. Choosing the subject/field which you really like, help you to

learn faster and achieve great heights in your career.

Your Abilities

One thing which everyone thinking of how to choose a career for high

school should remember is that abilities are as important as self

interests. Though you have an interest in a particular subject, you

should have the ability to interpret it, remember the concepts, and

apply them practically. You should consult your teachers to help you know your strengths and

weaknesses, as they have spent several years in the education industry.

Career Growth Opportunities

While choosing a career, you should look at the growth opportunities available in the field, so that you

can move up the corporate ladder fast. This can be done by meeting job market experts, industry

insiders, and conducting a self research. Before choosing a career after high school, make sure that it is

in hot demand, and job opportunities are available in plenty to secure your future. Lack of

opportunities can create difficulties for you to achieve your ambitions in life.

Money!

Yeah, we cannot completely ignore the money factor while selecting a career. After all students need

to recover their educational expenses and earn well to live a better life. So, researching about the

salary packages for the jobs which you can get after doing a particular course becomes essential.

Career Tests

Career tests can help you know your interests and likes. Till today, millions of students have benefited

from these careers tests. These tests include objective questions having multiple choices from all

subjects, such as reasoning, logical thinking, math, social sciences, physics, engineering, etc. After the

test, you can get advice from career counselors, who will ask you about your preferred career choice,

and tell you how you need to prepare to achieve success in it.

Hopefully, this article on how to choose a career after high school will help you take the most

important decision in your life. It is always advantageous to go as per our instincts, and do what our

inner mind tells us, and not have unrealistic expectations. Good luck and do well!

Vipin Gupta

Asst. Product Manager - Academics

i360 Staffing & Training Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Self-employment

Is it good to be self-employed or is employment the best

option? This is a subject of big debate, as people have

different opinions on this issue. Some feel that by being

employed, a person can have a stable and continuous

income in the form of the monthly salary. Some others

argue that though initially a businessman might have to

struggle to establish himself, his earnings can easily

surpass a monthly salary once he achieves a good position

in the industry. My view is that whether you look out for

self employability job ideas or accept a job, it should

depend on your personal interests, qualities, temperament, and business sense. The following are the

qualities which one must have in order to excel in a self-employment/business venture:

• Understanding the business model and market

• Understanding the client or customer needs

• Effective communication and interpersonal skills

• People management skills

• Ability to manage finances well

• Hard working ability and willingness to travel and learn

• A never-say-die attitude

If you think that you have the above qualities in you, then go through the best self employment jobs

mentioned below:

Options for Self-employment

Financial Advisor

The demand for Financial Advisors is increasing greatly these days because more and more people

want effective solutions for managing their wealth. Financial Advisors, who often need a license from

state authorities to practice, advise people on how to manage stock portfolio, investing in properties,

bonds, and mutual funds. Financial Advisors work for individuals as well as companies, and the more

the number of high profile clients, better would be their earning.

Freelance Technical Writing

Freelance technical writing would be one of the top self employment jobs. Technical writers prepare

information manuals and brochures for their clients, as these manuals help the people buy the

products, understand its functioning etc. As a freelance technical writer, you can get contracts from

companies belonging to the electronics sector, information technology sector, education sector, and

also the financial services sector. The more established your firm is, the more you can charge for your

services.

Software Solutions Provider

Computers have created a revolution in our society and have changed the way of doing business.

Computer software helps firms to reduce the time to complete jobs and do it more accurately.

Preparing, developing and testing software is not an easy task and hence most corporations prefer

software companies to get the software solutions. So, if you have good IT skills, then you can start a

software services and consulting firm to take advantage of the growth in the IT industry as a whole.

Retail and Corporate Broking

Stock broking is one of the best self employment jobs to do for those interested in the financial

services sector. As a stock broker, you can have two options - retail broking and corporate broking. In

retail broking, you cater to your retail or individual clients, whereas in corporate or institutional

broking, you provide broking services to large funds, companies and wealthy individuals and foreign

investors.

These were some of the best self employment job ideas that can help you

earn good money. Getting success in these best self employment jobs

requires a lot of dedication and effort from your side. You should not expect

overnight results, and learn from your mistakes to achieve your goals. All the

best for your career!

Ajay Arora

Asst. Product Manager - Academics

i360 Staffing & Training Solutions Pvt. Ltd

Colour Your Health

Who doesn’t want to keep healthy and fit? To keep healthy and fit means recalling or re-living the days

of youth and one is ready to give up anything to keep healthy, fit and young - money, time, sweat…!

We go for expensive treatments, exotic therapies etc. These treatments and therapies sometimes drive

us crazy and we look for some easy way out to maintain the days of our youth. But is there any easy

and natural way to lengthen the period of one’s healthy youth? If you are looking for something similar

here’s something that will help you.

Generally health is misunderstood as the absence of diseases but before proceeding further we must

know a better meaning of health. It is the physical, mental and social well being of a person and a

proper balance between these three leads us to a healthy life.

Colour therapy can prove remedial for the physical, mental and social disorders that we face day to

day. But what colour therapy actually is?

Colours around us affect our moods and emotions. The imbalances in the body’s internal energy

patterns and functioning might lead to emotional or physical ill health. To find and correct these

imbalances, Colour therapy is used accounting the sensitivity of humans towards colour. Researches by

the colour therapists have proved that each organ and body system has its own characteristic

vibrational energy, and disorders can be healed by applying colours of the synonymous vibrational

energy to the organs or disorders concerned.

What are the principles of Colour therapy?

Human body has the tendency to absorb light. This light is made up of the entire spectrum of colours.

Each colour of this spectrum has a definite frequency, wavelength and energy of its own. The colours

that we absorb can have a reflex on the nervous system, the endocrine system (The endocrine system,

along with the nervous system, functions in the regulation of body activities.) and as a result they drive

the release of hormones and other organic substances within the human body.

These colours can also persuade the more subtle energies of the ‘chakra’ system of the human body.

This, subsequently affect our emotional, psychological and physical states of health.

The symptoms of disease are a sign that there is a shortage of, or improper utilization of colour and

light in the cells and organs of the human body. This may b due to factors such as our lifestyle,

environment, stress, or too much, or too little of a particular frequency in our energy system. This

imbalance can be corrected by the selective use of colour frequencies. The forms by which the

frequencies can be transmitted to the body are numerous.

So, go meet a colour therapist, spend time with him telling him/her as much as possible about yourself,

your medical history, and current physical health and state of mind. The therapist will identify the

particular colour frequencies that you need.

A typical colour therapy might include the use of breathing exercises, crystals, light, silk scarves or

coloured water. Coloured light might be applied to parts or to the whole body. You may also be given

advice on how to make the best use of colour in your diet, the clothes you wear and your home and

work environment.

Each and every colour of the spectrum has its own healing properties so; let’s have a glance on the

healing properties of the seven colours of the VIBGYOR.

Violet

Violet is the colour of enlightenment and spiritual awakening. The spiritual healthcare providers use

violet the relaxation of muscles and organs, and for calming the nervous system.

Indigo

Indigo is the colour soothing and calming. It is also used to develop and stimulate intuition. Indigo has

also proved useful in controlling bleeding and boils.

Blue

Blue is the colour of communication and knowledge. It eliminates toxins from the

body. Blue has also proved remedial in liver disorders and jaundice.

Green

Green is the colour of balance as it is situated in the middle of the spectrum. Green is calming, and is

used by Ayurvedic practitioners to promote healing of ulcers. It has antiseptic, germicide, and

antibacterial properties and is sometimes used by the color therapists to treat bacterial infections.

Yellow

Yellow is the colour of sensational development of wisdom and clarity of thought. It has the

antibacterial properties and has proved beneficial in healing disorders related to the digestive system

and impassiveness.

Orange

Orange is the colour of pleasure, enthusiasm, and sexual stimulation. Colour therapy practitioners

believe that it has proved remedial in the digestive system disorders.

Red

Red is the colour of energy, empowerment, and stimulation. It is believed that physically, it improves

the circulation and stimulates red blood cell production.

So, choose the colour which suits you the best; keep enjoying the liveliness of your youth and cherish

the coloured moments of your life!

Avneet Kaur

Trainer & Content Writer - Academics

i360 Staffing & Training Solutions Pvt. Ltd.