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Importance of Remote Work for Employees

Work from home may have emerged as a new trend after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the seeds for remote work had been sowed way before the outbreak. According to the State of the Remote Work Report of 2019, about 44% of employees who are engaged in IT jobs were already working from home.

This shift towards the work from home model indicates that it comes with its own set of advantages. Here is an overview of the importance of remote work for employees and companies:

Benefits of Remote Work for Employees

Employees engaged in remote work enjoy the following benefits:

Striking Work-Life Balance

As more and more employees work from home, they no longer have to deal with rush hour and tedious commutes. It unlocks several possibilities in terms of how they wish to redirect this time. Resultantly, they focus more on themselves and achieve the perfect work-life balance.

Employee Well-Being

IT jobs are notoriously known for being highly stressful. However, when remote work enters the scene, employees know that they no longer have to put up with relocating for attractive opportunities, commuting, or long hours at work. Not having to attend office also limits their exposure to potentially sick or unwell commuters and coworkers. Therefore, it boosts their overall health and well-being.

Higher Employee Engagement

According to a Gallup study, remote working grants job flexibility, which results in higher employee engagement. An engaged employee will be more enthusiastic, positive, and energetic. Most importantly, they will have a positive outlook on their project and overall employment.

Greater Productivity

The autonomy granted by remote work allows employees to prioritize the tasks at hand and work in a self-paced manner. It also eliminates any office-related distractions that may bring down their productivity. The freedom to work in a familiar and comfortable environment will also boost their morale and help them deliver better results.

Work From Home Advantages for Companies

Companies can enjoy the following benefits of remote work:

Lower Operations Cost

With remote working staff, companies no longer have to invest in rent, utilities, and infrastructure to maintain a physical office. Interestingly, a survey highlighted how 44% of the workforce in IT jobs would be okay with a 10% pay cut if they get the chance to work from home. Naturally, such trends will cut down operational costs.

Access to Wider Talent Pool

The modern-day workforce belongs to a generation where they can communicate and operate effectively. As a result, companies no longer have to restrict their search for talent within a specific geographical location. Hiring candidates from all over the world grants you access to the top talents at best salaries.

Employee Retention

Providing a favorable and nurturing work environment enhances employee satisfaction. As a result, employees are less likely to consider switching their job. The reduced turnover rate also cuts down on the hiring and training costs.

Increased Profitability

Employees that work from home are 40% more productive, deliver products with 40% fewer defects, are less prone to absenteeism, and stay with organizations in the long run. Naturally, these trends indicate a marked improvement in your company’s bottom line. Furthermore, pair it with reduced operational costs and other benefits, and you will get almost 21% higher profitability!

Final Thoughts

It is evident that we are currently experiencing a remote work revolution.

When one considers the factors mentioned above, it becomes apparent that work from home benefits companies and employees alike. While 2020 may have accelerated the adoption of a remote working model in IT jobs, it is not merely a transitory phase but a permanent solution.

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How To Improve The Candidate Experience

Gone are the days when the job market was driven by employers alone. In today’s highly competitive market, your candidates are the ones who make the big choice – whether to choose you or whether to opt for another candidate.

And contrary to popular belief, this does not depend on “Salary Package” alone. Instead, most of the candidates make the ultimate decision based on their interactions with the company, during the various stages of your recruitment process.

So, here are a few tips and suggestions that might help you improve the ‘candidate experience:‘

Give Relevant Information

Yes, as simple as it sounds, a lot of employers often ignore this step. When your job description is clear and to the point, you make it easier for the candidates to understand their expected role in the company. Apart from the regular list of requirements, you can also mention the perks, benefits and salary package that they can expect. Thus, giving the candidates a clear idea about the company itself.

Regular Communication

Another important step that employers need to incorporate is consistent communication. Candidates like to know that you value their time and efforts. Send them regular updates about the interview rounds and the next steps of your recruitment process. Inform them about your final decision too.

Even though this means that you might have to send out rejection e-mails, the gesture is commonly appreciated by candidates. Also, it sets you apart from your competitors.

Optimise Your Website

What is the first thing that candidates do when they learn about a job opening? Yes, that’s right – they check the company website. Primarily because they wish to know more about the employer.

So, you can use this opportunity to give them a clear overview such as the company mission, the work culture and the various benefits that your employees enjoy. Also, an optimised “About Us” page can be a great way to tell candidates about your identity, vision and values.

Challenge Your Candidates

Challenging your candidates doesn’t mean having super-tough interviews that leave them feeling disappointed or confused. Instead, have an organised interview process where all candidates are given equal opportunities to showcase their talent, skills and experience.

This sends across a message that your company is serious and dedicated to finding the right candidate. Also, it gives you an idea about their skills and abilities, which will help you make the final decision. And once you make that big decision, all you need to do is to –

Stay in Touch

Yes, your communication should not end with the recruitment process. In fact, once the whole process is complete, you need to be in constant touch with your new hire. Again, as simple as it sounds, this proves to be very useful and effective as candidates often have a few queries before their first day.

By having timely communications, you can clear their doubts and help them make a smooth transition into your company. Also, don’t forget about the candidates that did not make the cut. Stay in touch, give positive feedback and maintain a professional relationship with them.

So, later on, when you have other job openings, you already have familiar candidates that have gone through your recruitment process. This will save you a lot of time, energy and efforts in the future.

And, that’s it. These were a few useful tips that will help you create a distinct brand image and will help improve the overall candidate experience as well.

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Need for healthcare professionals soar post COVID-19

As events unfold one day at a time, the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the U.S. job market looks much more profound than it seemed a week ago. As the COVID-19 outbreak spreads, healthcare workers across the world are struggling to treat the infected, guide the quarantined, tap the virus’ mutations, and predict the range of the outbreak.

The spread of the coronavirus is reflecting the spotlight on the importance of public health jobs. These jobs range from laboratories and offices to the quarantined cruise ships and hospitals. They play a significant role in protecting health during this coronavirus outbreak. The public health response ever since the outbreak has escalated to suffice the quickly rising need. Job postings are surging for workers with a wide variety of skills required to keep the epidemic in check.

Surge in job postings

Glassdoor had reported a rise in job posting in response to the outbreak. The need for healthcare professionals in the United States has seen a 3x increase. Out of all the job postings, 32 percent of the jobs are for health care, government, biotech & pharmaceuticals, and nonprofit industries. Another 34 percent include third-party staffing & recruiting firms that fill high-demand, contract positions. Registered nurses, communications associates, and social workers are topping the list.

Samples of Job Postings

The most substantial surge in job postings has been spurred mainly by the need for workers to assist the direct response to the disruption, which include healthcare workers.

Here is the list of some of the public health jobs that saw a spike after the outbreak of the new COVID-19 disease:

Epidemiologist

Registered nurses

Laboratorians

Environmental health experts

Behavioral health experts

Biostatisticians

Conclusion

The trajectory of the COVID-19 epidemic is still dubious. However, the first quantitative data of employees and employers show an increase in hiring in the public health sector. The demand for workers to help contain the outbreak will rise rapidly as the situation evolves.

Workers have a close eye on how employers handle the crisis. The data so far shows that employees are unhappy, especially with the shortage of work-from-home options. The onus is on the companies to adapt and fully execute their crisis response plans and restore employee confidence.

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COVID 19 – Disrupts the global job market

The Premise

The corona-virus outbreak presents hurdles we haven’t seen for ages. This crisis will seemingly be with us for several months to come. During this trying time, the health of people is of the highest priority.

While the world is still bracing for the real impact, it is the responsibility of each individual to acknowledge the impact this crisis will have on all of us. While at it, the job market is no exception. We cannot shy away from the fact that COVID-19 has altered the job market overnight. This global disruption has severely crashed the economy and job security.

The COVID-19 outbreak is a generation-defining moment. It has also become more evident that when this passes, we will have a job market built on new premises. The disruption will cause game-changing ramifications. While we will have specific sectors and workers that may benefit from this tragedy, we will have many workers lose their jobs.

Due to the ambiguity around coronavirus, the world is going to see hiring freezes along with extensive layoffs.

While the governments are finding ways to come out of this tragedy, let us analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the future of jobs:

Pay disparity

Our daily life is dependent on a lot of people that are underpaid and have a low standard of living. The burden during this crisis lies on the shoulder of many such workers. Applauding them from our balcony is excellent, but we haven’t acknowledged them enough in terms of their pay. This pay gap will decrease in the future.

Work from home policy

It took a pandemic for companies to discover that employees can be just as productive from home. The compulsion to work from home has led to an increase in autonomy and flexibility for employees. Companies have now realized that they can tap into a larger pool of talent and not rely on HR.

Reduced full-time jobs

Jobs that will not add value and high salaried jobs that do not justify their cost will perish in a jiffy. Companies will hire freelancers and contractual employees to reduce their fixed overheads. They will outsource everything except core jobs with a direct influence on the ROI.

To sum up!

The Corona crisis acts as a catalyst showing the cracks in our system. It offers a moment of opportunity for entrepreneurs worldwide to innovate and come up with disruptive ideas.

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Tech Job Certifications in Demand

It is no secret that possessing tech-related certifications significantly up your chances of landing a tech job in the IT industry. According to an online survey conducted by IT Salary Survey 2020, IDG Insider PRO, and Computer World, Professionals responded positively, stating that their ROI increased because of their IT certifications.

There is also the fact that tech job certifications are independent endorsements which suggest that, as an employee, you possess the necessary skills to take on a particular job or task. Since numerous IT positions require a specific set of skills, knowledge of technical software and procedure along with earning a credential in a specified area convinces employers of your suitability for a role.

As such, deliberating on the most sought-after tech job certifications is crucial to landing the desired position. Here’s a look at the ones topping the list.

Artificial Intelligence Certificate

The future of the IT industry rests on Artificial Intelligence and its constant development. An AI certification would, therefore, guarantee a much-avowed salary package and the chance to partake in the development of complex AI solutions to meet client needs. As an employee, you would be expected to possess hands-on knowledge of AI-related automation, such as Deep Learning and Machine Learning.

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)

The CCNA is a fairly easy, low-level certification that professionals can undergo to earn job titles such as a Network Engineer, Network Administrator, or Systems Administrator. It requires the understanding of installation procedures, the operating and configuration of routers, etc. Cisco Certified Network Associates (CCNA) must be specialized in security, voice, and wireless networking.

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Another bankable tech job certification is that of a Project Management Professional. Being internationally recognized, this credential ensures that, as an employee, you understand the universal language that is project management. Your expertise is hard-earned as it develops after a series of simulation exams, practice tests, case studies, etc. related to the IT industry and mentorship from influential leaders.

Cloud Computing Certification

Another fast-burgeoning technology – cloud computing with its unique features is taking the IT industry by storm. Professionals with this certification are in high demand as companies are constantly on the lookout for qualified employees. The AWS Certified Solutions Architect or Associate is one that professionals could consider taking up in this regard.

Database Administrator (DBA)

This database certification involves installing, configuring, and maintaining of a Database Management System linked to software platforms such as Oracle, MySQL, or SQL Server. Database technology has matured much in terms of its integration in commercial, scientific, and academic computing, and therefore, requires more administrators and developers than ever before. These tech job certifications are quite advantageous in the fact that both professionals, who want to advance their career and upskill, as well as aspiring students, can take it up.

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Please check out New video https://youtu.be/WuvEVBmkKp8 

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8 Jobs every company will be Hiring by 2020

IT Jobs for the Future

There has been enough speculation the world over about the bleak future of the IT industry in India beyond 2020. The predictions of an economy bereft of IT jobs as a result of automation couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, we are no doubt in the age of automation. And as you increasingly hear the words AI and ML pop up in a lot more business conversations, these developments are not the big bad that they are made out to be. On the contrary, these technologies are only going to add to the Hiring IT jobs in 2020.

So, if you are wondering what jobs will be in demand in 2020, your search stops here. In this article, we will talk about the most popular jobs in India which every company will be hiring for in the next year.

Data Analysts

The phenomenon that is ‘software’ has not left any field untouched, resulting in an explosion of data in every business sector. As machines start exchanging information with each other, experts predict another exponential jump in data. Managing all this data is going to make the job of a Data Analyst as one of the most popular jobs in India.

Application Software Developers

Screen sizes are getting smaller by the year. What was once possible only on a TV screen is now viewed on a mobile. As such, the demand for mobile application software is going to see a massive shortly. This is going to turn the role of Application Software Developers into one of prominence and high significance in the industry.

IT Security Specialists

A direct result of the easy availability of personal data online is the increased incidence of data theft. To combat this ever-present threat, the field of IT security has grown over the years. It will continue to be one of Hiring the best careers for 2020 and beyond.

Network Analysts

‘The network is the computer’ which was once a futuristic paradigm – is now a reality. Everything is on the cloud today. With a complex network architecture across every organization, the need for network analysts who maintain the network will be paramount.

Machine Learning Engineer

ML is a term that gets thrown into every business conversation these days. It is the precursor to AI. A machine needs to first ‘learn’ from the humongous amounts of data to perform intelligent tasks on its own. The structuring of this data is the job of the machine learning engineer.

Cloud Engineer

Many startups today commence operations on the cloud without any physical presence. This could be the norm in the future. The job of a cloud engineer is to manage internal company clouds with the external public ones effectively.

Computer Network Architect

The job of a computer network architect involves the designing and building of company LANs, WANs, and intranets. Every company will need a computer network architect to be able to connect to its outside vendors, customers, and clients.

DevOps Lead

The role of Dev Ops in bridging the gap between developers and business is often understated. These critical individuals will be in demand in the future as more apps will rise for more business functions.

Parting Word

Hiring IT jobs in 2020 and beyond are here to stay. They will instead transform into newer ones. As an aspiring candidate in the highly competitive job market, you might want to prepare yourself for this change.

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Few Tips to take the Right Steps Towards a Great IT Career

Overview

The technology industry is a great place to work – we can call it one of the progressive places to work, where you get an opportunity to work on solutions to problems that impact millions of people, apart from having loads of fun. In fact, it is the dream of every fresher or even a professional, who has spent a couple of years in non-IT sectors to get a foothold in the IT industry. But, the big question is how do you make the final cut? Here are a few tips, which we had underlined to get started. Of course, the biggest success factor would always be your motivation to get into this industry, apart from having the penchant for technology, innovation, and passion to make a difference in the lives of millions of people.

Be active in social media sites

Social media is all about connections and making new acquaintances – not just personal, but also professional. So, the first step is to create your own persona in any or all of the social media sites – Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr and FaceBook, which creates the first impression on the employer who might be willing to consider you. Also, ensure that your profile is up to date, apart from following interesting people to learn how they leverage the platforms.

These aspects are important because employers will search and explore facts about you, as your social media profile might not be linked to your resume or website. Another important aspect to adhere is to avoid pornographic or obsessive content on your social media handles, as employers might shy away and may not turn up again.

Showcase your skills

This world is full of advertising and even the minutest detail need to be advertised or highlighted to draw the attention of someone. Hence, if you are a developer, then showcase your skills on Github. In case you are a designer, create an account on Dribble or Behance account. Another good way to highlight your skills is to write a blog or a couple of blogs in Medium or Wordpress that can create a positive impression on your candidature that lets you stand out among the crowd.  

Have a project that talks about your expertise

Having a project that you can show it to a potential employer can go a long way in building a good rapport with your prospective company or the boss, who is going to hire you. Exhibit your skills in such a way that you enjoy doing things, thereby exuding confidence that you have the requisite skills that you had showcased in your resume. The bottom line is always doing some homework on your skillsets or collaborate with your peers to develop a project, say a student body website, while still pursuing your course. Remember, you need not be a developer or a designer to get started. Even if you are a marketing guy, try and enhance the marketing for small business online. Also, if you want to get into content writing, improve the content on a brand website. If you have done this before you attend the first interview, you would definitely make the first cut among thousands of applicants for sure.

Develop contacts with interesting people

One of the easiest ways to get into the tech industry is by forging new contacts and connections.  Such connections greatly help you to get the right job.

Have a good resume

Prepare a good resume that highlights all your important attributes that can make a difference to the employer. If you are a fresher, you may not have much to showcase on the experience front and hence it’s better to highlight your school or college projects, achievements, awards and other aspects that can catch the attention of the recruiters. Also, it's a good practice to keep your resume as black and white, since most of the companies would print the resume before they call you for an interview. Ensure a standard 2-page rule for your resume and have a readable typeface that is comfortable on the reader’s eyes. Also, it is better to have a good photo on your resume if you are submitting the resume in a job fair, as people tend to remember faces better when they have hundreds of resumes to go through.

Send a good email to catch the attention of the recruiters

Once you are fine with your resume, compose your first mail which should sound polite and assertive. Be friendly in your emails. Avoid writing ‘Dear’ or ‘Yours Sincerely’; compose the mail in such a way that you know and respect them. Your focus should be more on how you can help the company, rather than highlighting how good you are.

Good dress etiquette is important

Don’t be too formal in dressing. Just smart-casual should be fine if the company is small. Wear formal shoes and always be at ease with the interviewers.

Ace the interview perfectly

Before you get into the interview mode, research and understand the company thoroughly, rather than showing off your blank face at the interview. Always expect some open questions in the interview. If you think that user experience is important for a project, highlight that aspect and gauge their expectations. It’s also a good idea to ask questions such as the company culture, business model and the team members you would be working with to check whether you are the right fit for the company or not.  If you think there is a mismatch, it's better not to pursue the job further.

Lastly, if you cannot make it, don’t get disappointed

IT industry is quite dynamic with changing priorities and expectations. So, don't get disappointed if you cannot make the final cut or still worse if the job you had applied does no longer exist, though you had qualified for the interview. Always have a positive mindset, assuming that there are a lot of many opportunities to fish out in the IT Ocean. Try to work on some technology projects to improve your professional credibility.  Be updated constantly and keep looking for the IT trends that are shaping the job market. We are sure you would definitely make it one day.

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Hiring Tips for Medium-Sized Companies

Carving an effective hiring strategy for a small or medium-sized company is not as simple as one assumes. Medium-sized businesses need to understand and overcome a few pitfalls before they embark on the right hiring strategy. It's interesting to note that medium-sized businesses tend to hire faster than their larger counterparts, due to simple hiring strategies, less complex processes or even the passion to build a great workforce within a short period. However, with a lot of hiring challenges to abound, mid-sized organizations have started identifying the gaps in their hiring processes and set up a mechanism to revisit their hiring process for better outcomes.

It cannot be denied that the biggest challenge faced by the small and medium-sized businesses today is finding the right talent within the shortest possible time. As bigger companies have their HR departments, established branding and resources to reach out to a cross-section of their candidates, often it is the small and medium-sized companies, who face the music to hire the skilled talent.

In this blog, we present five hiring tips for medium-sized companies to select the best talent, given their limited resources and infrastructural constraints.

1.      Define clear cut expectations upfront

To get the best candidate to join your company, it’s a common practice for you to paint a rosy picture of your company and the benefits that the potential candidate can expect. While this is a great start to bring in the right talent, however, you need to clearly state what your company expects from the potential candidate. For instance, some companies expect their associates to maintain a strict schedule, while some might be flexible with timings.  Such policies should be properly communicated to the prospective candidates upfront including consequences they might face if they fail to comply. Additionally, it's also helpful to define what qualifies a candidate needs to have to be effective in the job before the recruitment process even commences.

2.      Leverage the right talent assessment tools

It’s not about the great qualifications or experience, you might look into the prospective hires; you also need to dig deep into their personalities to assess their attitudes, energy levels and the passion that they bring to your organization. When an associate fits in within your company’s culture, he/she tends to exhibit higher levels of job satisfaction, be more productive, perfectly gel with co-workers and also exhibit loyalty to your organization.

In the present technological landscape, employers have a wide range of options to collate and analyze data that lets them filter the prospects to include only those who could be their right fit for the position. Fortunately, even mid-sized organizations can have access to such low budget tools to devise customized questionnaires to assess the suitability of the candidates.

3.      Develop a consistent talent acquisition strategy

Hiring practices differ, based on the industry, organization’s size or even organizational culture. You need to establish a proper system in your organization to hire the top talent, wherein the processes defined within this system should be consistent for hiring candidates across any position. Requiring one associate to face an exhaustive hiring process while another being hired, based on a simple telephonic round can lead to utter confusion and frustration. Hence, a uniform recruitment strategy enables employers to make perfect choices, while minimizing the risk of hiring a bad fit within the shortest time.

4.      Take adequate time and don’t rush

Don’t compromise on the quality of the hire, just to fill the position within the shortest possible time to impress your leadership team. Slow down your recruitment process and perform a thorough screening before you even schedule an interview for the prospective candidate. Remember, the time and cost of high turnover are much greater than devising a perfect screening and selection process.  

5.      Prepare well to ask the right questions to your prospective associate

It’s not a surprise that as an interviewer, you too need to be prepared to ask the right questions to the interviewee to arrive at the right hiring decision. Though you might have got an idea about the potential candidate, having a face to face interaction can be a major influential factor to get the basics right. You need to establish a frank discussion stating the real facts about your organization, the job role and what is being expected from the person who fills it. Apart from that, you need to ask questions to get a clear picture of the prospective associate to assess whether he or she comes with the right attitude and experience, needed to perform the job perfectly.

With the above tips, we hope you establish a strong hiring strategy including robust planning and screening processes to select the right candidates to help build a strong organization.

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Booming IT sector of India

IT is driven by innovation, and every wink of a second, you find new developments happening somewhere in this world. Earlier, only developed economies, notably the USA was leading the innovation race. However, from the past few years, even developing economies is picking pace and are not behind in grabbing newer opportunities in innovation and product transformation, translating to more number of jobs in these emerging segments.

According to a new study, India is leading the IT race among all the emerging economies, generating a surplus of opportunities. This survey has identified the country’s five most attractive IT professions that are trending the job market currently.  Accordingly, this survey has thrown open some interesting insights to draw our attention:

Technology roles in India have been burgeoning consistently over the past five years, as more companies are enhancing their IT strengths.

Employers are ready to pay for top-notch talent in the areas of development, analytics, and data.

An increase in technology jobs by 8% in five years from February 2014 to February 2019.

The dramatic increase of technology jobs by over 31% in the past year, 2018 itself.

Increase in the median annual salaries of tech workers by over 1,500,000 rupees (approx. $21,100), ranking them among the highest earners in the country.

The concentration of the majority of jobs in large metros like Bengaluru (25%), Pune (9%), Hyderabad (8%), Chennai (7%) and Mumbai (5%).

Development, analytics, and data are the segments where employers are willing to pay for the top talent.

From the above insights, one can draw a clear cut conclusion that the right talent is the new engine driving the IT companies to grow.

So, guys and gals, it’s time to pull up your socks and be prepared for the next IT revolution to grab the best opportunities that come your way. Make hay while the sun shines!

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Top paying IT jobs, you should never miss!

Indian IT companies are booming, so the number of job openings posted frequently on various job portals. With exciting opportunities opening up across several key domains like development, analytics, and data, it's time for professionals to grab the best opportunities in the above segments. This micro article throws some valuable insights about the five best highly paid jobs, currently trending in the job market. So, let’s have a glance to get started on the same:

1.     Data warehouse architect

This is one of the hottest professions that is transforming the landscape of business intelligence (BI).  In computing terminology, a data warehouse is a system for reporting and analysis, which forms an integral component of business intelligence. The major role of a data warehouse architect is to design such data warehouse systems and enhance the current systems to support businesses. For a qualified data warehouse architect, the median annual salary is Rs.1,500,000 (approx. $21,110), while the upper annual salary is Rs.2,500,000 (approx. $35,228).

2.     Senior technical lead

In the IT sector, this role is quite common and offers immense potential for future aspirants. Typically, the role of a technical lead within the realm of IT development is to design and build complex software solutions. For a qualified and experienced senior technical lead, the median annual salary is Rs.1,200,000 Indian rupees (approx. $16,909) and upper annual salary is Rs.2,500,000 (approx. $35,228).

3.     Analytics manager

We are living in the world of analytics. Right from our day to day consumer products to complex business and industrial applications, analytics is driving innovation and powering our decisions. Within this perspective, the role of a data manager is indispensable, occupying a crucial role within the innovation eco-system. Using the ability and knowledge to analyze and assess complex data sets, the Analytics managers integrate their technical skills and industry knowledge to power businesses with their decision making processes.  A qualified and reasonably experienced analytics manager could expect a median annual salary of Rs.1,150,000 (approx. $16,207), while the upper annual salary could be Rs.2,400,000 (approx. $33,828).

4.     Technical project manager

This is one position that is showing consistent growth and holds lots of promise now and also soon.  The role of a technical project manager is to lead assigned projects and manage each project's life cycle from conception to final sign-off with the emphasis more on technical soundness and efficiency of the resources. The median annual salary of a qualified and a reasonably experienced technical project manager is Rs.1,000,000 (approx. $14,096), while upper annual salary is Rs.2,400,000 (approx. $33,828)

5.     Lead developer

A developer is the core team member of a software development team, while a lead developer is a manager who assumes responsibility across multiple projects that may range from app development to generation of programs. The median annual salary of a lead developer is Rs.1,000,000 (approx. $14,096), while the upper annual salary is Rs. 2,400,000 (approx. $33,828).

From the above article, it is evident that IT roles are diverse across different domains, and it’s only the passion and skills that drive the new generation to dizzy heights of success, be it in terms of money, position and above all the valuable knowledge they gain through innovation.  

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Eight tips to build a great gender diversity workplace

Gender diversity has become a common talk in workplaces to ensure that the fair sex gets a better deal in the otherwise male-dominated workplace. Often, we find a lot of articles and news items in media talking about woman power and empowerment with gender diversity being at the pivotal point of discussion. Now, the next question that crops up is how well your organization scores in gender diversity? If your workplace is still dominated by male associates, then you score poorly in gender diversity. However, if you are really serious in improving gender diversity by providing great opportunities for women, then this article is just for you, where we provide a few simple tips and pointers.

1.     Devise an unbiased and fair recruitment policy

When you think about gender diversity, the first thing that comes to our mind is does your company has a fair recruitment policy that can encourage women to fill male-dominated roles? If you are yet to figure out on this, this is the right time to work on an unbiased recruitment strategy that encourages prospective female associates.

Earlier, there used to be marked discrimination in the hiring pattern in several industrial segments, skewed towards the male associates. In fact, it's been an open secret that some jobs are only reserved for men, due to the tough nature of these jobs. However, in recent years, particularly the IT sector has witnessed a sea change in the way recruitments happen and now the gender bias is slowly blurring with women getting the equal number of opportunities as their male counterparts.  So, devise the right recruitment strategy and show it in action, rather than on paper, giving a good chance for female candidates to show their mettle in the tech. industry.

2.     Project your company as diversity friendly

As part of your recruitment strategy, you need to sell yourself as a potential employer, who believes and fosters a diversity-friendly culture. Publish quotes from existing female associates that talk positive about your organization, promoting a positive aura among the prospective female associates.

3.     Be the leader in the team

Within your team, you need to be a champion of women’s causes and support women, wherever required. In order to ensure they provide the best services in your company, it’s imperative for managers to promote and encourage their skills on par with their male counterparts.

4.     Mentor young lady associates

Hiring women associates in the workplace are just a small tip of an iceberg. In order to sustain and contribute to the bigger vision of your company, these young associates need strong leaders and senior figures, who can mentor and train them with the required skills to excel in their respective professions.

5.     Give a fair chance to women to rotate roles

In order to empower women in your workplace to make them multifaceted and multi-talented, you need to encourage women to rotate roles to get a taste of various skill sets. This way, women tend to learn a lot, gain valuable exposure in multiple domains and gain the confidence to take up bigger and more responsible roles in the near future.  

6.     Provide an opportunity for women in succession planning

What happens if you leave the organization or you retire after a couple of years as a senior leader? Who is going to succeed after you? This is the right time to give an opportunity for female associates, who are equally capable to manage the mantle of responsibilities, handled by you earlier. You need to review the succession plan of your entire company and tackle the areas which fail the diversity test. Hence, if you set an example at the top level, things become easier for you to build a great gender diversity organization.

7.     Provide liberal leave benefits for female associates

This is one of the best ways to ensure that your female associates stick to your organization for a longer time. Granting suitable maternity (and of course paternity leave) for female associates is a great step forward for female associates to fulfill their personal commitments and revert to work when everything has stabilized at their personal levels. In fact, a paid maternity leave would definitely work wonders for your female associates and also instill a sense of security in their respective jobs.

8.     Encourage more work-from-home options

A great step towards women empowerment is to offer adequate work from home (WFH) options, as and when the situation arises. This way, your associates would stay connected with your organization for a longer time, while channelizing all their energies to produce the best output in line with your company’s vision and objectives.

The above tips would definitely go a long way in forging a great diversity friendly workplace, though the road towards achieving this might be fraught with challenges. However, with the right commitment, attitude, and resources in hand, we are sure you would definitely build a great organization that respects and encourages women on par with men at all times.

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How to prepare your first resume

After completing your graduation, your next obvious step would be to either proceed for higher education or try for the coveted job, you had always dreamt of. If your plan is to get the first break in your career, you need to build a strong resume that could make a cut among thousands of applicants.  Your resume should provide a snapshot of your professional and personal achievements to drive home the point that you are the right choice among thousands of candidates.

However, it seems quite daunting for youngsters to prepare their first resume and thus end up making a lot of mistakes that could easily cost their careers. If you are one such person struggling to prepare your resume, here are few simple tips that help you to prepare a compelling resume.

What you need to do before you prepare your resume?

Before you pen down the resume, understand that your resume should catch the eyeballs of the recruiter and drive home the point that you are the most suitable candidate among thousands of applicants for this job.  

To do this successfully, you need to understand what the potential employers are searching for. You can start by doing thorough research about the various job postings that you are interested in. Prepare a list of keywords that you find in job postings like the top skills that employers generally look at. Also, talk to experienced professionals and check with them what they think relevant when they hire the candidates. You can extend this talk to include your peers and friends, who are in your field to know what jobs are typically relevant for you to consider.  

Another good way is to read professional articles (both online and offline) of the industry that you are interested to work with. Immerse yourself in the field that you desire and understand the current market trends, expectations, and the required skills that employers mostly look at. Once you get a clear picture of what employers are expecting, you can target your resume taking all these points into consideration.

Get started with writing your resume

Highlight your educational credentials

The first and foremost thing to highlight in your resume is your educational credentials. If you have recently graduated, note that you need to bank more on your educational qualifications as that is what attracts the employers. Hence, place the Education section on the top of your resume. Include the college or university you had graduated and also the percentage/GPA that you had achieved in your course. In addition to that, also include any other achievements that make sense, for instance, high GPA or a degree from a foreign university that can catch eyeballs of the recruiters.

Highlight your experience

The next important aspect to highlight is your related experience. Of course, if you are a fresher, you cannot include anything in this section. However, even if you have limited experience, don’t hesitate to include that experience in your resume. Think about the seminars you had attended or internships you had done and also volunteer positions that you have been involved. You can list all of this in Related Experience section.

One more important aspect to remember is not to highlight anything which is not related to your job or profession. For instance, if you are looking for a marketing associate job, your short part-time marketing assignment, when you were still at a college becomes relevant.  However, if you had won a badminton competition in your college, this information doesn’t make sense for the job you apply.

Another important section to highlight is Achievements. You can include this as a separate section or put it as part of your Experience section to give an impression that you are ready to add value to your prospective employer.  

Use Keywords

Sprinkle a lot of relevant keywords in your resume that you had generated earlier as part of preparing your resume.  This will catch the attention of the hiring manager and can create a positive impression on your resume.  

Explore some examples

It’s also a good idea to look into various resume samples to help place your relevant information in the proper format. This way you can easily customize the resume, based on the position you are applying for. You can check various Resume samples in MS-Word and even Google Docs for free and start using them, whichever you feel right.

Ensure that your resume is short

As this is your first resume, you need to ensure that the resume is short and crisp. Remember that your resume should not be more than a page.

Edit before you send

Once you have included all the information and prepared your first resume, will you directly send it to the employer? Absolutely, no! The most important aspect is to edit and proof-read your resume thoroughly to check for any formatting errors, grammatical mistakes, and even sentence construction. Remember, even a small typo error in your resume would cost a lot in your career and chances are that employer may not look at your resume again. If required, you can even change the font in your resume to make it more eye-catchy and appealing to the recruiters. Once you have edited the resume, pass this to a career counselor, take his/her frank feedback and incorporate the changes, wherever required in your resume.

Next Steps

With a great resume in your hand, you are all set to send it to your prospective employers and even attend walk-in interviews with all the confidence and zeal to ace the first interview. So, go ahead and put your best foot forward for a great career ahead.

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Tips to hire the right candidates through various social media networks

Online recruiting is fast catching up the attention of the recruiters of almost all the companies, whether big, small or medium. What was just a buzzword, a few years back has now become a trend for companies to hire and connect with the right candidates

Recruiting online is all about finding the best candidates and forging meaningful connections with them. And social media has become the best platform to interact and share ideas with each other. It is estimated that an average user has more than 5 social media accounts, wherein people easily share and express their ideas online and even make new connections.

With social media sites including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter leading the trend for social networking, HR managers are exploring great opportunities to connect with the candidates, which otherwise would have been impossible using conventional sources. Though most organizations are leveraging social media to hire potential candidates, however, still some companies struggle to recruit via online sources. In this article, we will present a few tips that can help get the right candidates for your company, apart from the benefits that you can accrue with social media hiring.

Key tips to connect with the right candidates

There are no defined specifics for proceeding to hire via social media, though every company should develop its own social media recruiting strategy. Here are the few tips that help to connect with the right candidate:

Be proactive and send the right message: The main crux of recruiting on social media is to connect with the right people with the right message. You need to be active on various LinkedIn groups and post the job openings that can reach the right candidates. For instance, you can use keywords like #javajobs or #HYDhiring on Twitter to help connect with the Java developers, who are actively looking for jobs in Hyderabad.

Don’t be too informal: Instead of using a formal language to reach out to the potential candidates, be informal and friendly to promote your culture. It’s not just about posting the jobs from your company account. You should also share information highlighting your company’s achievements and also promote your company’s brand, culture and work environment to generate a good impression in the minds of the potential hires. People love to work in companies that value employees and hence this type of content garner maximum likes and shares.

Try to reach out to niche networks and forums: Another way of connecting to potential candidates is through niche forums such as GitHub and StackOverflow or even sites like Quora. These sites provide a rich pool of talented resources from where you can connect and choose the right candidate.

Make every employee part of your hiring process: This is a great idea, wherein you can share the job postings with your employees. As most of them are active on Facebook and Linkedin, it could help your fellow employees to connect with their friends and peers, thereby generating a positive social media presence. In fact, make every employee your company’s brand ambassador to help them get the right hires.

Make the best use of LinkedIn: Among all the social media networks, LinkedIn serves as the best place to get the potential candidates. Almost everyone with a strong career has a profile on LinkedIn, which is the world’s largest professional network. In order to let your page show up on LinkedIn, you need to fill in all the information of your brand without leaving even the minutest details. This way, candidates can search your page, view your openings and get a snapshot of your organization. When looking for potential hires, look for candidates with the combination of talent and passion. Reach out to candidates, who are passionate about their jobs.

Benefits of social media hiring

Track the complete history of the candidate: On LinkedIn or even on Facebook, you can get the complete snapshot of a candidate’s professional and academic profile, without even viewing his/her resume. This helps to easily assess whether he/she is the right fit for your organization or not.

Get the right cultural fit: Social media is not just about tracking the professional history of a candidate, but also helps you evaluate whether the potential hire is a right cultural fit in your organization or not. You can understand the hobbies and the overall personality of the candidate to judge whether he/she has the right attitude and can adjust in your work environment.

Filter out unsuitable candidates: Based on the behavior of the candidate on social media in terms of sharing the content, you can even filter the best candidates out of the worst.

Save money: The biggest takeaway of social media hiring is it’s absolutely free, unlike traditional recruiting platforms, where you need to spend a huge amount to post a single job opening.

The bottom line is what works for your organization may not be relevant to another organization. The secret of success is to have a strong social media recruiting strategy that is tailor-made to the requirements of your company and the jobs you are hiring for.  This way, you can build your brand in the market, hire the right candidates and also ensure they stick to your organization for a longer time.

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Do you have the right talent acquisition strategy?

Talent Acquisition – current scenario

Talent acquisition is a long term strategic initiative to look for talented people, gain new relationships and convince them to offer their expertise to your company. In this digital age with blurring geographical boundaries, it has become a challenge for HR managers and recruiters to get the best minds on board. Hence, it has become imperative for HR managers to devise unique and attractive talent acquisition strategies to help attract the best talent and also retain them for a longer duration.

Generally, the HR department of a company looks for candidates only when they want to fill up a specific position, whenever an employee leaves the organization.  In this context, your talent acquisition strategy should focus more on the bigger picture of macroscopic hiring and set higher expectations from a long term perspective. In fact, it is a great challenge for HR and functional managers to find and hire the right candidates, particularly in certain key specialist and management functions.

In order to ensure long term success, you need to have a strategic approach for talent acquisition to ensure that the right candidates join and stick to your organization for a longer period of time. For this, you need to probe into your present talent acquisition data, analyze what your current goals are and zero on a forward-thinking talent acquisition strategy that you can implement to attract the best talent with the desired skillsets. Hence, this type of strategic plan that helps to prioritize retention is quite worthy, since it goes a long way in saving your employee turnover costs.

Now, let’s look into the greater details about devising the right talent acquisition policy and the key pointers that could ensure greater success.

Probe your talent acquisition data

The first step towards creating an effective talent acquisition strategy is to gather the data by calculating how much you would spend on employee retention and turnover. This will help you to clearly assess the changes that are required. In this regard, you can do thorough research about how many employees are actually leaving your organization and analyze if your present talent acquisition plan is really yielding any results or is it just a futile exercise, wasting your time and money.

Role of retention rate in devising the right talent acquisition plan

You can easily calculate the retention rate by dividing the number of individual associates hired at a specific point of time; say a year or a quarter by the number of associates hired at the start of the year or the quarter. Next, multiply this figure by 100 to get the exact retention rate. Unfortunately, if you find that the retention rate is very less, you need to analyze what went wrong, for which you need to look into the data of your exit interviews including your employees’ feedback. This will help draw a conclusion about why your current talent acquisition is not foolproof and why it has failed miserably.

For instance, assume a scenario where an associate leaves your organization just a few months after being employed. The pertinent reason could be either the employee might not be the right fit or he/she might not be properly on board. Another reason could be that the candidate couldn’t have been given adequate time to get adjusted in the new environment or worse, he/she might find the work environment sickening and uncongenial.

Let’s take another scenario, where an associate had left after working for a couple of years without being promoted. The primary reason could be either he/she wasn’t provided sufficient opportunity to grow in your organization or showcase his/her skills to let managers take note and offer a long term career path. This is also one instance of failed talent acquisition strategy, wherein proper learning and development are also equally vital, just as important as recruiting a new candidate.

Revisit your onboarding and training processes

After you know where you stand with respect to your talent acquisition strategy, you can make certain amendments to your onboarding mechanism. This implies you need to create a learning environment, where new associates get personalized training, based on their job expectations. As part of this process, managers need to define key goals, including establishing a continuous communication eco-system between line managers, mentors, and co-workers. Apart from that, they need to handhold the new hires, so they could meet those goals within the defined time period.

In fact, when you onboard a new hire, you need to ensure that they get incessant learning opportunities, so they get positive vibes that they are growing in line with the company’s growth. This will, in turn, develop immense confidence in them that their work is being valued, thereby anticipating good growth prospects in your organization including promotions and pay hikes.

Talent acquisition goes hand-in-hand with training and retention programs when it comes to minimizing the turnover and increasing employee engagement. Hence, it's critical to emphasize your company's commitment to growth and training during the talent acquisition process.

Now you are set to devise an innovative talent acquisition strategy

When you have the key pointers, you are all set to devise a great talent acquisition strategy. To get started, you need to modify your onboarding process and devise a plan that includes all your learning experiences, right talent acquisition strategies, best onboarding practices, and retention models. If you have done your exercise well and put this exercise into practice, we are sure your organization would be on the right track to offer stupendous onboarding, training and learning experiences. This translates into employee loyalty, thereby helping in saving your precious time and money.

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9 Tips to Trigger a Great Career in Machine Learning

Machine learning (ML) is a branch of computer science that provides the capability to the computers to learn without the requirement of any clearly formulated programming.

Machine Learning offers great career opportunities and is increasingly being used in almost all aspects of our knowledge domain – be it business, science, technology or even medicine and space research.

In order to start a career in machine learning, you need to have the passion to learn new things, as learning and the ability to solve problems on a day to day basis is the success mantra of this field. Before you set the foot in this segment, it is imperative to have a basic understanding of what machine learning is all about including the mathematical logic, alternative technologies used and hands-on-experience required.

This article is dedicated to all those professionals and students, who want to explore a career option in machine learning.

1. Be a Constant Learner

Machine learning in recent years has evolved rapidly with the adoption of new technologies, frameworks, business models and techniques. So, at the preliminary stage, you need to get curious about all these aspects and be a constant learner.

2. Develop a Logical Blend of Mind

Machine learning is a logical field and is best suited for aspirants who have a logical blend of mind. It integrates several disciplines such as mathematics, technology, and business analysis, making it an interdisciplinary job. Apart from a strong technological focus, you also need to need to be open to understand the business problems and possess the ability to interpret those problems into a machine learning paradigms, thereby adding value to the product or the project that you work upon.

3. Integrate with the Team you Work

Machine learning is more about working as part of a team, rather than being an isolated fragment in the big organizational picture. One of the success stories of being an excellent machine learning expert is to be proactive to work in a team, assimilate their ideas and put your thoughts into action. So, it’s necessary that you be a good team player.

4. Gain a Good Grounding in Data Analysis

Data is the new oil for any industry or technological segment. Hence, data analysts are the most suited professionals to make a perfect transition into a machine learning career as their next best career move. Of course, if you are not a data analyst, you need not worry; develop an analytical mindset and set your focus on data analysis and interpretation. This means you need to play with the data – dig the data, comprehend where it is most suited and infer the net outcomes from the data. Bottom line is you need to share the information in a prudent way, generate good visualization, and integrate information that can be easily understood by all stakeholders.

5. Learn the Right Programming Language to Get Started

The best programming language that is most suited for machine learning is Python. Apart from that, you also need to learn how to use machine learning libraries. If you feel daunted about how to get started, there are a host of institutes and courses online that teaches you the concepts of Python, apart from customized courses dedicated only for machine learning. It’s always better to connect with the experts to get going in this area.

6. Online Courses can Help you a Great Extent

As mentioned in my earlier tip, you can take up some online courses, apart from participating in learning competitions (kaggle.com is one such website) to gain good knowledge and showcase it to others. There are several online customized courses offered by learning platforms such as Udemy, Udacity, Coursera, which are dedicated only for machine learning. Hence, enroll in some good online course, read new articles on emerging technologies and connect with technology experts on various social media platforms to trigger a career push in machine learning.

7. Research about the Industry where you want to Work

You need to understand that every organization has specific and unique goals. Hence, it is better to do thorough research about the industry, where you want to work. For instance, it may take a couple of months to understand a financial product of a specific business segment, but the crux is to research and learn about it as quickly as possible to leverage your knowledge in this domain. Also, remember that you need not be an expert, but gaining some preliminary knowledge about the domain or the product that you are going to work really goes a long way in building a good career in machine learning.

8. Look for Small Companies

If you are interested to begin your career in machine learning, it’s always advisable to start small. Hence, don’t target big companies such as Amazon, Google, etc as they look for experienced candidates. Try to target startup companies, where you have immense opportunities to learn and apply your knowledge.

9. Showcase Some toy Projects

One aspect which helps a potential employer to take note of your skill sets is to showcase some good projects. Take the advice of your seniors; connect with experts and try creating and uploading a project in Github. This way, you could definitely gain an edge over other potential candidates, eying a career in machine learning.

Piece of Advice

Similar to any other career option, you need to have the passion, interest to try new things and above all the genuine aptitude of learning to make a mark in machine learning. Keeping aside the technical and analytical skills, you need to get motivated about solving new challenges, day in and day out and always proactive to learn new technologies to keep yourself updated. That is the key to success.

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The Hard Skills Companies Need Most in 2019

January is the month of motivation and productivity, as you make an effort to keep to your resolutions and stay at the top of your game! Most working professionals are always on the look-out for expanding their Hard skill, and companies should encourage and guide their employees in this quest.

This is the perfect time for companies to take inventory of the pool of hard skills their employees already have and work towards bettering and expanding them. With an array of skills to cultivate in the arena, the focus should typically be on harnessing the benefits of the digital era and boosting the productivity of the company this new year…

Video Production

The demand for video production is increasing exponentially since video-streaming now represents seventy percent of all consumer Internet traffic. Web Video for business, creating web series especially, is in huge demand at present.

Audio Productions

Much like Video Production, there has been an increased demand for audio production too due to the growing interest in podcasts and other audio-digital formats. Learning techniques for audio recording is imperative to have a wholesome understanding of Audio Production.

Cloud Computing

This is the best time for companies to look for engineers with a specialization in Cloud Computing, as the whole world is now rushing towards the cloud. To accommodate the ever-increasing demand, it is essential for one to have an accurate idea of not just Cloud Computing but also Web Services and Advanced Security.

Scientific Computing  

It is very important to have knowledge of Scientific Computing since it can be used to solve problems dealing with massive amounts of data. As companies continue to collect data at an incremental rate to expand their database, it is essential to know Scientific Computing to store all the data.

People Management

The approach of companies when it comes to dealing with employees has changed vastly throughout the years. Now, there are “leaders” instead of “bosses” and employees are not given orders and instructions, but are rather approached and coached. The management of human resources is a difficult skill set to possess but companies must attain this skill in order to achieve success. Managing the conflicts of the employees and motivating them to work more, and work better, should be the ultimate goal of people management.

Sales Leadership

This particular skill is very common worldwide, but notoriously difficult to retain in a company, as it gets hard to find efficient individuals who also have good leadership skills in the sales department. But, a company ought to appoint good sales leaders in order to avoid the stagnation in the company’s growth as this skill is always in high demand. Sales Coaching and Sales Management programs can also be started for letting the professionals better themselves in this area.

Digital Marketing  

This is the digital age and digital marketing is undoubtedly one of those skills being extremely high in demand. It is not even a surprise to witness more and more companies working day in and day out to learn and perfect the art of digital marketing. Brand and marketing integration and marketing foundations are part and parcel of digital marketing and it is, therefore, imperative to be completely aware of these things.

Social Media Marketing

With each passing day, social media is getting more and more relevant in everyday affairs. Social Media is an essential tool of communication in the present day and it is absolutely necessary to have a team allocated exclusively for Social Media Marketing. Marketing on Instagram and other platforms is essential to ensure the company is ‘trending’, which is the modern-day synonym for ‘growing’.

Translation

In today’s times, the entire world is globally connected. With a proper translator, the language-barrier in this otherwise global environment can easily be overcome. This skill can be used to communicate across cultures and develop cross-cultural intelligence.

In huge demand, yet not difficult to achieve, these are a few skills that companies might want to cultivate in 2019 in order to sail through the new year at the top of their game.