Any working parent will tell you that although raising children is rewarding, there's a constant struggle for work/life balance. Whether they're working overtime to help make ends meet or rushing after work to get the kids to soccer practice, the reality is that it's difficult to be an active parent and productive worker. (Difficult, not impossible.) Today's economy doesn't help, as parents are feeling added pressure to spend more time on work to provide for the family. Thirty percent of working moms whose companies have had layoffs in the past year are working longer hours, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com.* Fourteen percent have taken on a second job in the last year, 43 percent work more than 40 hours per week and 16 percent said they bring work home at least two days a week. "Nearly one-third [of mothers] say that despite it being one of the toughest economies in the nation's history, they would consider taking a pay cut to spend more time with their kids," said Mary Delaney, president of CareerBuilder's talent management and recruitment outsourcing division, Personified, and mother of three. "If you're struggling with work/life balance, talk to your manager. Working moms who communicate their need for flexible time, job sharing or something in between will find that most companies are receptive to these kinds of policies." Many working parents have already communicated that desire: 55 percent of working moms said they take advantage of flexible work arrangements at their organizations. The majority of these women say their new schedules haven't adversely affected their career progress. If your company doesn't offer a flexible or alternative schedule to help you work around your family commitments, maybe it's time to think about working in a family-friendly career. Here are five to consider: 
5 Family-Friendly Careers
How I blew up my change to bag a great job!
| A Truly Smart Job Seeker, before a long awaited interview is intricate about details like formal attire, information about the company and the job he is applying for. But not everyone is so smart! Here are some mind boggling incidences on how some "not-so-smart" Job Seekers blew up their chance to get the job they were trying very very hard for. |
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| You can't misbehave.Hold Your Moods!! You must be there on time and put your best foot forward! Be graceful and well behaved. Don't keep checking the time in your wrist watch as if you were bored of the process. "One applicant asked the hiring manager to speed things up so he could catch a bus." But the weirdest story came from a hiring manager who said, "One applicant said the company had a black aura and left." Now this kind of an attitude will not get you a job ever! BE Professional PLEASE Your first impression can make or break your chance to get the job- but "not-so-smart" applicants don't understand the concept of formal attire. These ultra-cool candidates arrived at their interviews in T-shirts and jeans, but the worse is to come. One job hopeful arrived at his interview displaying a hairy chest, medallion, strong cologne and a wad of gum in his mouth. And which is worse: the applicant who wore a housecoat and slippers or the one who wore his slippers with a bathing suit and T-shirt? But even the "so-called-smart" and impeccably dressed candidates can appear very unprofessional. Singing the national anthem, trying to sell the interviewer a car, doing yoga at the interview and showing off your new gadget will have similar effects! Nervous breakdown's in the making.. Some degree of anxiety is normal - even beneficial - at an interview, but hiring managers report some candidates take nervousness to the extreme. Applicants fumbled, giggled, babbled, and even did not remember the job they were applying for - but they were the lucky ones. Other, "not-so-smooth" job seekers wet themselves, and one applicant fainted in the reception lobby. Being acquisitive is fine.but don't look greedy! Employee benefits are important to you and to every job seeker but asking the benefits in the initial contact is not recommended. "Not-so-smart" job seekers are very impatient to know about salary, time off, vacations - even a raise before they are offered the job. Other, more audacious candidates complained about the working hours, and one even asked, "How soon can I have your office?" Stop acting Frantic! YES!! You want the job, but wowing the interviewer with your skills and qualifications is much more effective than outright bribery. Some candidates just went across and offered interviewer gifts, money and far more for a job offer! |
Decisions Build Careers
Do you dislike making decisions and avoid the challenge whenever you can?
Take heart. Look around and you will find you have plenty of company.
People tend to be 'reluctant decision makers' because they are 'beset by conflict, doubts and worry.' People 'seek relief by procrastinating, rationalizing and denying responsibility' in making choices.
This human tendency creates a big vacuum. Its name is opportunity!
"Organizations cannot function, certainly cannot succeed, without good decision-makers. Organizations reward those men and women who are willing and able to fill those roles."
Therefore, opportunities are available for those who are willing and able to come to grips with decision-making. It's the very essence of management. Success depends on being confident and reasonably comfortable with the process. Of course, success also requires a good batting average of right decisions. That doesn't mean you have to be right all of the time; it means be right more often than wrong.
Why People Shy Away From Decisions
It helps to understand some of the reasons why people dislike making decisions.
All decisions encompass some degree of irrevocability. Once a decision has been made there is no returning to square one. There is a price tag attached to every decision. There are bound to be winners and losers.
Decisions expose us to attention. We may lack confidence in our ability to make decisions. We may not know how to make decisions.
These facts of life breed the kinds of stress that make some people so uncomfortable they had rather let others call the shots and take home the rewards. Others are willing to stick their heads in the sand and let the issues go unresolved.
How To Make Better Decisions
You can improve your tolerance for making decisions and do a better job at it by embracing a few common sense ideas.
It is important to realize that although each decision carries with it certain consequences, no outcome is likely to be the raging success or the unmitigated catastrophe we tend to imagine.
You will not be a good decision maker if your goal is always to avoid losing rather than always trying to win. Nobody in his or her right mind can expect to be right 100 percent of the time. Besides that, as I have already said, you don't always have to be right in order to come out an overall winners.
You can't afford to be defensive about decisions that turn out to be wrong. When you are wrong, and you will be from time to time, admit it and go on.
If you want to be a good decision-maker don't get hung up waiting for all of the facts before coming to a conclusion. Satisfy your self that you understand the issue and have weighed all of the options. Test the alternative solutions among those who know the situation and will be impacted by the decision. Decide. Act.
Learn to trust your intuition. Hunches are not random bolts out of the blue. They are rooted in all the knowledge and experience you have accumulated in general and with regard to the issue at hand.
Decisions surrounding major issues should be broken into smaller, manageable parts. Take the parts one at a time; come to conclusions in sequence.
Resist being pressured into making a decision before you are ready to decide and act. All problems do not require immediate answers. Sometimes issues resolve themselves or just go away.
Don't base decisions on popularity. Or on friendship.
Make Decisions To Grow
Nobody says you have to play the game as decision makers. But before deciding your role, keep in mind how the real world works.
Organizations grow and profit only to the extent that their managers make good decisions. Therefore, ambitious organizations need and will pay to get men and women who can make decisions. People who have that ability are in limited supply. This means there are opportunities to gain positions of leadership and earn the material rewards that go to those persons who have the ability and courage to make decisions.
The choice is yours. Make a decision today.
How to Shift Gears, Change Careers, and Become a Yoga Teacher
Do you enjoy practicing Yoga? Does teaching Yoga seem like your ultimate dream job? Does the thought of becoming a Yoga teacher feel like a “calling from within?” How would you pay your bills teaching Yoga? If your life mission is becoming a Yoga teacher; let’s look at a few practical solutions to your obstacles.
If you feel like a “fish in water” during a Yoga class you are not alone. However, when teaching Yoga becomes your own long-held aspiration, your spirit will not be fulfilled in the “daily grind.” You begin to feel frustrated in commuter traffic, and during office hours, when your dream job of teaching Yoga seems out of reach. So what do you do next - if you really want to become a Yoga teacher?
Apparently, you are focused on your goal, so you are far ahead of the majority of people who do not have a clue about what they really want. Here is a formula, and sequence of events, for you to consider: Focus, action, plan, envision, pace yourself, and goal realization.
Focus: It seems like you already are focused on becoming a Yoga teacher, but you should do some research on what teaching Yoga is really like. The types of Yoga teacher training courses will vary, according to style, hours required, on-site training, or correspondence course. Also, the preparation for a 90-minute Yoga class is something the average Yoga student is unaware of.
Action: Most of the world’s population never gets to this point. Most people fall into a “rut” and never take any action to move forward. This requires even more research about what you plan to do, how you plan to teach Yoga, and who you plan to teach Yoga to.
Plan: Write your goals down and only share them with people you can trust. Look at your goal of becoming a Yoga teacher as often as possible. Write down the exact chain of events required for you to become a Yoga teacher.
Envision: Visualization is important in reaching any goal. When you practice meditation, you should see, feel, hear, and possibly smell, what your new career of teaching Yoga will be like.
Pace Yourself: There is a saying, “Rome was not built in a day.” If you try to get to your goal of teaching Yoga too quickly, you will “burn out” along the way. Life is a journey, not a race; “stop and smell the flowers” along the way.
Goal Realization: Once you become a Yoga teacher, do not “rest on your laurels.” Continuing education will be an important and valuable part of your life. A Yoga teacher is a student of healthy living for life.
Fast-Growing Careers With High Salaries
Thinking of changing careers? Whether you're just beginning your education or returning to college, there are fast-growing professions that show no signs of slowing down through the end of the decade -- and they pay.
Let's look over some fast-track career groups that offer strong salaries with room to grow:
Commercial Loan Officers
Commercial loan officers work for banks, credit unions, and other lenders to help them analyze loan applicants for their consumer credit history and financial status. You'll need strong financial skills and a degree in business, economics, sales, or banking. Many online finance or management programs can get you up to speed in a hurry.
According to Salary.com, the national average of entry level earnings for commercial loan officers ranges from $55,475 to $71,382 with $3,000-$7,000 in bonuses. After six to eight years of experience, commercial loan officers can earn between $95,015 and $116,670, to a top salary of $128,034.
Financial Analyst
Financial analysts develop critical revenue projections and investment analyses for individuals or companies. There are online MBA or undergraduate business degree programs offering courses in statistics, accounting, economics, and business law that can prepare you for this fast-growing field.
The national annual salary range for entry level analysts is between $40,632 and $51,982, but with seven years experience, you'll leap into the $90,690 to $99,972 range.
Senior Database Administrator
A senior database administrator can design, maintain, and crunch a company's database to dramatically affect the operational bottom line. An online computer science degree or computer programming degree can provide fundamental skills necessary to thrive in this IT career. You'll need at least a bachelor-level IT degree to play on this rewarding field.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reports that senior database administrator jobs will grow faster than the average rate for all career groups through 2014. And you'll look forward to your paycheck. Top salaries range from $90,690 to $113,849, with a top tier around $125,379.
Network Security Administrators
Like their database cousins, network security administrators are among the fastest-growing career groups in the nation. In this role, you'll be the architect and security watchdog for an organization's voice systems, LAN/WAN, and telecommunications networks.
You'll need at least an IT bachelor's degree to compete, and you can better your prospects through online IT network certification and graduate degree programs. But it's worth it. Top annual salaries range from $61,117 to $100,685, with a high end around $123,585.
Registered Nurses
There's no shortage of nursing jobs. According to the U.S. DOL, nurses make up the second-largest career group in the country. There are registered nurses and registered nurses with bachelor's degrees. The difference in earnings and the ceiling on your career can depend on your willingness to enroll in an online RN to BSN degree program.
Consider the evidence: entry level wages for an RN floor nurse range $53,398 to $68,263. Nurses who want to move into supervisory positions better their chances for advancement with a BSN degree. For example, head nurses average between $74,965 to $97,276, and head operating room nurses average from $80,084 to $112,090.
Web Interface Design Directors
Among all the graphics design professions, the U.S. DOL predicts that Web designers with animation experience will have the best job prospects through the decade. And, among these, Web interface design directors are the best earners. You can enroll in online graphics design degree programs and software courses to bone up on the latest graphical user interfaces (GUIs), usability trends, and code management techniques.
In return, look for the national earnings average of $47,551 to $66,277 for entry level designers to ramp up to a muscular $121,310 to $141,662 range -- with top salaries at $148,374 -- for senior interface design directors.
Restaurant General Managers
Restaurant general managers work for major restaurant chains, private bistros, hotels, resorts, and casinos. The Department of Labor predicts best opportunities will be for salaried managers than self-employed restaurateurs. You'll prosper from completing online hotel and restaurant management programs.
National average wages for restaurant GMs range from $53,255 to $60,765, with an average at $70,546 for managers of fine restaurants.
Paralegals
Paralegals provide critical support to attorneys, law offices, corporate legal departments, courts, and government agencies. The Department of Labor predicts brisk growth in the field, especially for graduates of paralegal courses offered through online paralegal degree programs.
The national salary range for entry level paralegals is from $36,641 to $49,754, however, paralegals with eight years experience may earn upwards of $86,666.
Careers in Travel and Tourism Industry
Introduction
The world tourism industry provides direct employment to 19 million persons and generates indirect employment for 38 million persons according to the estimates published by the World Tourism Organisation. The tourism industry is one of the world's largest industries. In India Tourism has been declared as an industry and numerous incentives are being offered for promoting tourism. Indian tourism has shown a growth rate of 6% in the past decade. The overall value added employment in the tourism sector including hotels and restaurants is estimated at approximately 80,000 crores.The Tourism industry is comprised of :-
- Institutional sectors National/State levels - Directorates • Development Corporations Hotels
- Commercial Services - Transport • Air • Rail • Road • Travel Agencies
- Personalised services - Ticketing • Reservations • Documentation • Publicity • Tourist Guides
Directorates and Development Corporations
The Department of Tourism at the Centre and states formulates policy, selects and develops centres which attract foreign tourists, sets about providing transport, publicises the range of unique sights and experiences that the areas present.
Entry: Officers in the Directorate and Departments of Tourism at the centre and states are recruited from civil servants. For operational jobs in government organisations a degree in travel and tourism is required. The Indian Institutes of Travel and Tourism Management provide educational options for all kinds of jobs in the industry. These institutes also conduct several executive development programmes providing opportunities for upgradation of skills.
Opportunities exist for becoming Information Assistants at tourist offices scattered throughout the country at the more popular tourist centres and overseas. The appointment of Information Officers is made through a written examination. Graduates with a background of History, Art , Geography and a good General Knowledge gan apply.
Hotels
Star hotels require trained people for its various departments:- food and beverage, house keeping, accounting, marketing, recreation and other services, computer application, financial management, engineering and maintenance, security, fire fighting and public relations.
Entry: Diploma holders from hotel management institutes can start at junior management levels.
In all 1,80,000 vacancies are expected to be filled in hotels in order to run the approved hotels in the next decade.
For details about work and training in the hotel industry - Refer to Chapter on Hotel Management.
Travel Agencies
Travel agency has four departments : Tours, Travel, Accounts and Cargo..
Travel agencies
Travel agents have the information and know-how so as to make the best possible travel arrangements, with their clients' preferences, budgets and other requirements in mind. For international travel they provide information on customs regulations, required papers (passports, visas, and certificates of vaccination) and the most recent currency exchange rates.
Travel agents consult a variety of sources for information. They spend most of their time behind a desk conferring with clients, completing paperwork, contacting airlines and hotels for travel arrangements and promoting group tours.
Travel agencies also do promotional work.
Tour Operators
Packaged tours to destinations in India and abroad includes planning of accomodation, food, transport and entertainment. Tour managers make reservations, depute guides/representatives for accompanying the tour groups. Travel work involves provision of detailed information of routes, costs and other matters of interest.
Guides
Young graduates who have a flair for history and languages could work as licensed guides. The Indian Institutes of Travel and Tourism Management (IITM) offers a course after which the person can be empanelled as a guide. This is a short duration coure. Training in cultural tourism is most popular.
Cargo
Cargo handling covers booking and recovery of Cargo from destinations connected by Air, rail or roads.
Accounts
Accounts department in this profession handles the billing and recovery of money from clients.
Entry
The options for entry are
- Travel and tourism, Public Relations or Advertising degree/diploma
- Training with an agency
- Post graduate course for Travel
- Ticketing course
- Knowledge of one or more Indian language
A three tier training for guides- Regional guides are trained by the Department of Tourism/IITTM, State level guides are trained by the state governments or with arrangement with the Department of Tourism Government of India, Local guides are trained by the local administration. A trained guide gets an identity card endorsed by the Archaeological Department.
Commercial Services - Government
Immigration
Immigration is the first counter where the visitor has to be serviced. Curriculum in some universities now provides for teaching of immigration procedures.
Customs
The services have been in existence for a long time as a separate cadre and as the volume of traffic increases, the number of counters will have to be considerably increased.
Transport Services
Popular transport services are provided by air, railways and road. Some coastal states also have waterways. Rural India and wildlife destinations are covered by indigenous modes of travel.
Air transport - Expansion of airline network results in more jobs both at the ground and crew level. Some recruitment for both categories is done locally. A degree or diploma in tourism is needed for a ground job.
Road transport - Road transport too provides employment. Facilities for bank loans for acquiring these vehicles are available.
Work Environment
- Very competitive
- Regular work
- Overtime during peak season
- Reservation work is on the computer
- Considerable talking over the phone
- Ticket agents work at airports,train and bus stations which can be very noisy
- Dealing with many clients
- Long hours
- Speedy work
- Tour and travel guides spend most of their time travelling with customers, staying in a range of accomodation, walking or travelling on long journeys, accomodating to diverse weather conditions and in varying degrees of comfort.
- Genuine interest in travel
- Personal knowledge
- Quick access to travel and transportation data
- Business skills with diplomacy
- Computer proficient
- Good communication skills
- Acumen for solving problems
- Knowledge of foreign /regional languages
- Well groomed professional appeal
- Good clear voice
- Friendly disposition
- Enthusiasm for working with people
- Good memory
- Positive approach
- Outgoing & confident
- Friendly
- Sensitive to the needs of the travellers
- Ability to relate to a tourists in large as well as small groups
- Good at planning , time management
- Resourceful and adaptable
- Pleasing disposition
- Must enjoy travelling
- Well read, particularly in relation to destinations they cover
Though travel agents are working in all part of the country, they are concentrated in major population centres since the best business opportunities exist in these places. Generally, after gaining experience and recognition in an established travel agency, many travel agents go in for their own venture.
Courses/Institutions
Courses in tourism are offered at the graduate/postgraduate level by several universities. Short term diploma courses can be pursued for commercial services. Indian Institute of Travel and tourism is a premier institution for education and training in tourism.
Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management - A National Centre for education, training and research in the field of tourism and travel management in India .It aims is to provide academic opportunities to graduates, directly and in collaboration with Universities, for successful careers in tourism.
IITTM Delhi offers
- Basic courses in Air Travel, Fares & Ticketing, as well as basic course on Airlines, Travel Agency and Tour Operation Management for Graduates
- Courses for Trainers
- Two-year Master of Tourism Administration (MTA) Kurukshetra University/Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)
- Post-graduate course for tourist guides
- Post-graduate Diploma in Destination Management (PGDDM)
- Post-graduate Diploma in Tourism Management (PGDTM) in the University of Bilaspur for students from tribal and backward areas.
- Ground level training programmes or Alternative Education Courses (AEC) for various categories of personnel: tourist guides, taxi drivers, tourist police, immigration officers, tourist health officials and souvenir shop staff.
- Language Training Programmes (LTP).
- Diploma course in Tourism management at its centre in Gwalior and regional Centre Bhubaneswar
- Admission is through entrance test held at Gwalior, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bhubaneswar and Calcutta, which will consist of objective questions for testing General knowledge of History, Culture, Geography, places of tourist interest and knowledge of English. Those qualifying are called for interview. Medium of instructions for course is English.
Course - Diploma in Tourism Management,
Duration - 1 year August to July.
Eligibility - Graduate with 60% marks
Business Management.
Course - B.A. Tourism and Travel Management. Graduate Integrated Course
Duration - 3 years.
Eligibility - +2.
Eastern Region
Northern Region
Masters in travel administration of 2 years duration is offered to graduates/postgraduates in the following universitites -
- Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra 132119
- Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202002
- Jiwaji University, Gwalior 474011
- Anantpur University, Anantpur 515314
- Marathwada University, Aurangabad 431004
- Jai Narayan Vyas University, Jodhpur 342001
- Pondicherry University, Pondicherry 605014
- Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla 171005
- Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore 452001
- Avdhesh Pratap Singh University, Rewa 486003
- Utkal University, PO Vani Vihar, Bhubaneshwar 751004 Orissa
- Lucknow University, Badshah Bagh, Lucknow 226007
- Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Srinagar 246174 Garhwal Distt. UP
- Dr. B. S. Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad 431004, Maharashtra
- Indira Gandhi National Open University, School of Social Sciences, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi 110 068 offers Masters in Tourism Management through correspondence (2-4 years). The course is open to graduate and Hotel Management diploma holders.
- Utkal University, PO Vani Vihar, Bhubaneshwar 751004 Orissa
- Lucknow University, Badshah Bagh, Lucknow 226007
- Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University
- Srinagar 246174 Garhwal Distt. UP
- Dr. B. S. Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad 431004, Maharashtra
To cope with the growing demand for qualified people, International Air Transport Association(IATA) alongwith International Federation of Freight Forwarders' Association (FIATA) has been conducting courses in aircargo for the past several years. The IATA- FIATA offers three types of courses-
Introductory course for beginners who learn basic cargo ratings and documentation procedures. International air cargo rating course is an advanced course for those already well versed in basic freight calculations. Then there is the prestigeous Dangerous Goods course covering responsibilities of shippers, agents and airlines involved in the transport of dangerous goods. Air Cargo agencies accredited by IATA are required to hire a minimum of two DGR diploma holders.
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