Think about your Communication Skill

BPM (Business Process Management) is one of the fastest growing industries in India. As per NASSCOM the industry is worth $17 Billion and provides employment for over a million people and caters to 52% of world’s Business Process Solutions. BPM is related to all kinds of professions like Medical, Technology, Commerce, Finance, Law etc and the processes varies from simple data entry to complex systems like Data Modeling, Data Analysis, Quality Assurance, Service Delivery and Strategic Planning.

 However what is common in all these processes and activities is Communication Skill. It is the most important skill which is required from each and every individual in this industry. There are only few companies that really spend enough money and time in training their employees on Communication skills. Our education institutions do a measly job in imparting good training. So here I tried making a list of few parameters which will help you improve your communication skills and with a structured approach you can master at it.

 We all know that an effective communication is achieved when the audience understands exactly what the speaker/writer is trying to convey. This is the process where the intent is fully comprehended by the audience and is reciprocated with an acknowledgement. But an ineffective way of communicating will not only lose its real meaning but may also distort and create confusion. There are various factors why a message is interpreted in a wrong way. Some of the distracters are Incorrect Grammar, Phonetics, and Mother Tongue Influence. I will not dwell too deep into them but it should be helpful for a structured approach if you are willing to improve.

 Pay attention to tenses, parts of speech and know the difference between affirmative and interrogative sentences. You cannot leave the customer thinking whether you asked him a question or merely suggesting something.

• Phonetics – Intonate, Stress and Pause when required and only if required. Here is a classic example of stressing a word in a sentence inappropriately. “I Stole a Pen”. Now try stressing only one word when you say that sentence and see how the meaning changes.
  • I Stole a Pen –Are you accusing me of stealing
  • I Stole a Pen – You call that stealing, I just took it and didn’t know someone owns it
  • I Stole a Pen – I probably thought I took something else but wasn’t a pen
• Mother Tongue Influence – There is nothing wrong and it is quite natural that we all get influenced from the circumstances that we grew and how we learnt a language. MTI is not just confined for Asians it is a generic term for any individual who deviates from Normalized pronunciation. Americans too have MTI, have you ever heard how differently a Southern guy speaks than an Eastern. To overcome this, try to avoid framing the sentences based on your regional language. English should be spoken with its own fundamentals but not by another language.
• Be interactive. Do not sound like broken record. Be confident and take that courage to interact, speak more and try to loosen your muscles and let that free speech flow. You become eloquent only when you let your fears go.

 Remember that for any individual his career and its progress mainly depend on how effectively he communicates. This is a wonderful tool that can bring you success and it is easy if you practice.

 We do not have enough Henry Higgins than Eliza’s’ in this industry. Read books, they are man’s best friends for life. Enjoy life.

Invest in your Human Capital

One of the key functions in your business is Human Resources. There is no exaggeration in saying Human Resources Department is the most influential in keeping your employees happy. To recall its history, during the Industrial revolution there was a dire need for the management to check on the growing dissent on the Unions and also see the welfare of the employees. Personnel Managers were appointed to be a bridge between the employees and the management. Their main responsibility was to keep the disgruntling under control and meticulously record the employee’s deviation on compliance like Attendance, Pay and Adherence. These PMs could not break the inner circle of the employees and were always treated as management sympathizers. Around 60s and 70s when Technology was picking up its pace and when societies were moving from Industrial economy to Service Centered, there was a desperate need to address the grievances and the well being of employees.

It was about few decades ago that some of our leaders felt that Employees were the most important resources that a company owns and how effectively it manages them defines its success. And that gave the shape of Human Resources department. The HRs were not just the time keepers but were actively involved in reading their employees, in providing the benefits and handling the grievances. Human Resource gained so importance that the companies started allocating annual budgets for it to function effectively. Not just the funding, HR got much needed push from technology by innovative applications and software to help the HR Managers to manage their large employee base. HRs also became responsible for Performance Management, Talent Acquisition, Talent Mapping and Payroll.

Now the industry is looking beyond and started to recognize employees not just as Resource but as Capital. It is the Human Capital that drives the businesses through innovation, strategy and competition. Employees and their contribution for an Organization is its net Intellectual Property. In this highly competitive and capitalistic environment an Organization is distinguished mostly by innovation and unique offerings for their customers. Capital in any form is an investment and it can be multiplied and appreciated when there is interest added to it. Similarly to increase the net output from the Human Capital, the companies need to invest in identifying and nurturing the innate talents of employees.

HR personnel should be prepared to identify the unique skills of its employees, make a record of each individual and work around these skills and guide the Human Capital to achieve the company goals. It looks like a huge task but if the Talent Identification and Documentation are done during Recruitment, On-boarding and Appraisals then it shall be a structured approach in steering the energies of each individual as a collective force to make the mountain move. 

Recruitment or Career Consulting ?

Staffing industry is one of the fastest growing industry in ITES world. Despite of recession in US and economic slowdown in some parts of the growing economies the Staffing industry still managed to weather the storm. Some of the major Staffing firms posted some brilliant performance on the cards and heading towards exploding numbers in future. However, staffing industry, like others, is not immune to downfall or dangers. With dwindling margins and cut throat competition from the established Service Providers, the industry has always been running on “Quick and The Dead” model. As governments make it easier for SME business to start up their own business, most of the prospective entrepreneurs find Staffing as the first destination to enter into the ITES space. This has made staffing firms to crop up in all sectors from ancillary to SME and sometimes large scale. While MSP(Managed Service Providers) take the major share in providing the staffing services for some of the Fortune 500 companies, yet there is always enough room for new players to take their share of cake.

We will be amazed to know that some of the best recruitment for IT Companies are done by a recruiters working for a measly salary in a low lit dingy apartment. Some of them don’t even hold a formal degree and even if they do then the chances are that it may not be a technical degree. So how could this economic imbalance has crept up. When MSPs charge their clients with exuberant rates per hire whereas small companies who deliver efficiently are not even allowed to talk to procurement managers. Is the IT industry not receptive for equal opportunity ? Does the corporate lack the ability to objectively evaluate their vendors ? Why are procurement managers so inaccessible even in this digital age where personal details remains no more personal. Why should we shut doors for service providers who are young, energetic and competitive ?

Partly that could be because of the volume of companies that are entering into staffing business. Managers are finding it difficult to really measure and evaluate the ability of a firm if they could meet the quality standards of the Organization. Currently companies are following balance scorecard to evaluate the existing vendors and I hope it may not be too far that a similar methodology shall be applied to examine the new comers. Eventually the industry has to embrace small players as they tend to be more accessible, receptive for change and economical. So what happens when Staffing giants and small firms, working in a garage, compete ? What is the differential value when the quality of hire remains the same. This is where we go to our Heading of this Topic. The answer will be Career Consulting.

A typical work life of a recruiter(in any firm) is to get a requirement from Hiring Managers, understand it and start looking for individuals from various sources like Job Portals, Social Networking and in some cases Cold Calling. Once they get the interested candidate they send him for interviews and if he gets selected then bingo, he gets an incentive, company gets the revenue and hopefully the client would have got an employee. And usually there ends the matter.

What if the candidate finds the job uninteresting or his contract ends ? How many recruiters see how the career progression of the consult is ? Can recruiters just be a messenger of job opportunities and sustain in the corporate world. I think, regardless of the size of the company, recruiters should take the task of career consulting. This means they should have a holistic understanding of various industries and professions, they should have the ability to evaluate the consultant’s talents and understand their aspirations. A recruiter should counsel, advise and guide the job seekers to their suitable careers.

Career Consulting is nothing new and it has been there since very old time. In olden days young men were sent to various sports and mind games conducted by the King and each individual’s specialty is understood by their performance at different events. More robust and strong men are sent for physical work and the one with intellectual abilities were retained for advisory roles. However, this didn’t restrict them from changing their professions. In history we have seen some of the best intellectuals participated in wars and some warriors being exemplary artist. Similarly, it is up to the individual to aspire any career or job. However, with hiring practices getting more complex and sometimes irrational so a counselor with superfluous understanding of industries will be helpful for aspirants in reaching their career goals.

In fact this has an economic value too. The very growing technology has left the professions more intertwined and inter-dependent. There is hardly any profession where it works on the absolute knowledge of a single faculty. That means a civil engineer is expected to know computers or doctor should know finances. So the paradox is that the enthusiastic individuals are more qualified with multiple degrees with no jobs or employed specialists are not abreast with the changing business models. This leaves a great confusion and opportunity for Staffing companies to step in and help the professionals in finding the right job or the career. Since the volume is more this can be done at a price and making it as an economy.

So when staffing companies invest in creating Center of Excellence to provide career guidance they will be eventually setting up a long term and sustained presence in Human Resources domain.

My Visit to Jaipur City

I was fortunate enough to visit this historic city called Jaipur. Situated in Rajasthan, Jaipur is about 250 Kms from Delhi. Jaipur has a rich heritage and history of being rules by Rajputs and is home for some f the magnificent palaces of India. Jaipur Palace and Amber Fort are considered to be the example of Indian Medieval Architecture. Constructed during 18th century these palaces display amazing works of sculptures, architecture and artisans. Most of the palace is painted by natural colors and it is a wonder to see that these colors have not been worn out in time. 

Rajasthan not only has a rich culture and heritage it is very popular for its cuisine. Jaipur too offers some of the delicious and savoring food of Rajasthan. 

It is interesting to know that the trust that oversees Jaipur Fort and Palace sell some of the antique items that were used by the then kings. Though the items are not of high value yet it amuses the traveler to keep it as a souvenir.

Varanasi - The Holy Land of every Hindu

These pictures were taken during our visit to the holy land for Hindus called Varanasi or Kasi. Varanasi is one of the very oldest cities known to mankind. On the banks of the holy river ganga it the Ganges this city is filled with history, religion, serenity and piousness. Varanasi is home for one the prestigious universities of India name as Banaras Hindu University. Founded by Shri Madan Mohan Malviya, this university hosts graduation and post graduation studies in various faculties.

Not too far from this place is Sarnath, where Lord Buddha have his first sermon on Dharma and other Buddhist philosophy. Sarnath also has a museum which hold the actual Ashoka Chakra that has been adopted by the government of India in its national emblem and national flag.

The banks of Ganges which is considered to be the most sacred river for Hindus flows right from the city. It is believed that a dip in the holy river cleanses all our sins. The remains of the mortals are also left in the river as Hindus believe that the mother Ganges will take the dead to heaven.

The boatsmen usually charge about 200-300 rupees per person to take you on a ride for s stretch of 3 kms.

Kasi or Varanasi draws its significance also from Kasi Vishwanath temple. Built roughly around a thousand years ago and rebuilt, renovated and restored many times in history. The main temple is believed to have been as Lord Siva used to reside in Varanasi.

This place has many myths, legends and faith than any place on the earth.

I present you a glimpse of this natural and historic city of Varanasi. A holy Land of every Hindu.