Career in Soft Skills Training

Introduction
Of late, soft skills have emerged as a tool with enough power to make or break your career. How often do we encounter technically talented people who excel in their jobs, but whose career stalls beyond a certain point because they lack the social communication and relationship building skills to manage, work with and lead other people? Soft skills is an umbrella term which includes communicative skills, listening skills, team skills, Leadership quality, creativity and logic, problem solving skills, diplomacy and change readiness, among others.
Soft skills are generally gifted and cannot be learnt from a book. Roots of soft skills can be traced back to one’s ‘Sanskaras’ (Family Values). Still, formal training can, of course, give you a fresh perspective, and teach you tips and techniques if you need to improve specific skills, but if you really want to ingrain soft skills into your personality, you have to become a keen observer, an eager learner and an assiduous workman religiously putting to practice all that you have learnt. Here are a few soft skills which may help you improve your career prospects and enhance your personality as a whole.

Effective Communication Skills
Effective communication skills include oral Skills for public speaking, presentations, negotiating, conflict resolutions, knowledge-sharing; Writing Skills for preparing reports, proposals, instruction manuals, writing memos, notices, official correspondence etc. It also includes a combination of verbal and non-verbal skills. Since our official medium of communication is English, certain amount of proficiency is needed in it. As English for us is a second language and not our mother tongue, so a constant practice at home/hostel, followed by language-lab sessions, is need of the hour. Those institutes that want their students to get placed in MNCs and reputed companies, must give this a deep and urgent thought. Quality job depends as much as on knowledge of the respective subject as on good communication skills.



Interpersonal and Teamwork Skills
Interpersonal and teamwork skills contribute to higher productivity and better environment as people work together to reach common goals. Some individuals are born leader or intuitively adopt the traits required in team work. However, in general, these skills need to be taught or can be learnt through practice and awareness. This skill has four dimensions namely—Cooperation, Communication, Work Ethic and Leadership. Cooperation requires demonstrating the ability to compromise on their views, treating team members with respect, and working within a consensus of the team. Communication here requires a dynamic interaction among team members and inviting and providing feedback and resolving conflict. Work ethics includes accepting responsibility for assigned work, completing any assigned tasks and doing so on-time, and offering assistance to other team members when required. It is certainly desirable for each team member to demonstrate leadership. This includes helping to provide structure by initiating action, clarifying concepts and problems, and summarizing activities and results.

Personal Skills
Many people wonder why they do not have the success they want in business! Most of the time, the reason will be right under their nose; they are just unable to see it. The first thing that someone should ask is, "Am I successful in my personal life and relationships?” Personal skills are those skills which make you not only acceptable and respectable in society and at the work place but also help you in getting a good job and better career growth. They include ability to make decision, Alertness, Assertiveness, Attention to details, calmness, Commitment, Cooperation, Emotional stability, Empathy, Flexibility, Generosity, Tolerance, self-confidence, self-control, self-reliance, self-respect, Honesty, and sense of humor among others.

Problem-Solving and Other Cognitive Skills
In your day to day life, you often come across such situations where you are unable to make right decisions. You are more likely to get into such conditions when you are working in an organization. To deal with such stresses, you need to develop some skills which may help you in making decisions, developing creative and innovative solutions, developing practical solutions, showing independence and initiative in identifying problems and solving them, applying a range of strategies to problem-solving, applying problem-solving strategies across a range of areas.



Adaptability and Work Ethics
It is a well-known fact that contemporary organizations evolve and change rapidly, given the fast pace of technological change over the last hundred years of industrial era. Consequently, an employee in a contemporary organization must not only be willing to work hard but also possess the flexibility and ability to respond to rapid change. An employer requires a whole set of skills to develop adoptability like communicating across cultures, getting along with others in a multi-cultural work environment, respect for others’ faith and belief systems, avoiding racial/cultural discrimination at the workplace.
Work ethic is a set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence. It is also a belief in moral benefit of work and its ability to enhance character of the employer or any individual. A work ethic may include being reliable, having initiative or maintaining social skills. Apart from that a sense of responsibility, honesty and commitment may also be included in it.
In order to posses these above discussed skills you need to be self-aware i.e. you need to cultivate positivism in your thought and approach. You should also know how to live consciously and try to put your words into action. Reading is yet another way to improve your skills and can help you develop a better perspective of the world and the things around you. You should also open yourself to new ideas and experiences and be willing to adapt to changes if it makes the things go easier. The last but not the least you should always remember is that you need to practice and practice these skills with dedication. Practice improves your performance, helps you discover and overcome shortcomings and mistakes and gives you confidence.

Career Prospects

• Soft Skill Trainer
Most of the organizations are now providing their employees the training of soft skills in order to improve their positive communication, interpersonal and team skills, problem solving, adoptability, and work ethics. This in turn has a very positive impact on their business and personal lives on one hand and increases the productivity of the organization on the other. So after completing a course in soft skills, one can get a job of a soft skill trainer in any of private or public organization and earn a handsome salary.

• Personality Development
Of late, the focus has shifted from a natural man to a groomed one. Organizations, particularly corporate ones, are seeking individuals who are smart and well groomed. They have the kind of communication skills that they can outsmart any one. For which they provide training to their employees once they are recruited. But they prefer those who are already better. Since most of the people are born with the talents but they need policing and grooming, a number of private institutes are set in market that are doing this job for them. These institutes are earning a lot of money in turn, thus, providing an attractive job option for a soft skill trainer.

• Teacher
Teaching has recently been a good option for a soft skill trainer as Technical Communication is a compulsory subject in all Engineering and Management Institutes. There the students are trained and prepared for their placements and communication skills along with other personal skills are required to perform better in interview and group discussion. Since the growth of an institute is totally dependent on the job placement of its students, the role of a soft skill trainer becomes very crucial.



Placement
After completing the course, one can get a job in any public or private organization, educational institute, or can set his own training centers. Initially, the trainer can earn somewhere between Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000 per month which increases over the years.

To Know about the premier institutes offering courses on Soft Skills, please contact:

MANISH LAHOTY
THE RIGHT PATH
E112, Lower Ground Floor,
Kalkaji
New Delhi-110019
manishtrp@timegurus.com
+91 9953 070305

Go after your Goals

We all know the importance of setting goals. When we set them, somehow we often don’t seem to achieve them. Why is it that most of us fail to achieve our goals?

Failure happens because most of the times our goals are not really ours; others imposed them on us, and we are made to believe that this is what we should aim for.

Why is it that so many of us don’t set goals? It is because of fear, rooted in poor self-esteem and under-confidence.
Don’t let life just happen to you; ‘make it happen’. Be a doer and a dreamer rolled into one. Are you ready for this challenge?
If you are then make some commitments to yourself

Understand your potential: Be confident. You are a unique being with unique talent. Bring forth your abilities and let them flower.

Bring excellence into your life: Whatever you choose to do, do it to the best of your ability. Being successful is a habit. If you are successful in small endeavors as well, such as polishing your shoes to give them a great shine, you will feel proud of yourself. Success in such mundane activities propels you to success in higher spheres. Rate everything that you do on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means ‘very shabby’ and 10 means ‘excellent’. Your satisfaction level should be at least a 9 on this scale.



No regrets: Let go of the past. Learn from your mistakes and move on.

Allow yourself to dream: Be honest with yourself about your goals, but always think big and dream bigger.

Plan for achieving your goals: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. You must make a written plan about how to reach your goal. Take it one step at a time.

Believe in yourself: Confidence in your abilities and your vision is the key ingredient for success.



Never give up: The role of persistence in achieving your dreams can’t be overemphasised. You want something, go get it and don’t turn back till you’ve got it.

For Career Counseling

Manish Lahoty
THE RIGHT PATH
E112, LGF
Kalkaji, New Delhi
manishtrp@timegurus.com
+91 9953 070305

Career Opportunities in Corporate Social Responsibility

The post liberalized and globalised Indian economy is witnessing shrinking role of state and growing role of Corporate and Business in overall development of country. Corporate with their wider reach, professionalism, innovation and wealth have the ability to influence the pace of growth and development. In recent survey by TERI it was found that the public expectations from corporate and business are growing. Indians feel that business sector must play a wider and more expansive societal role. In addition to providing good quality products at reasonable prices, companies should strive to make their operations environmentally sound, adhere to high labour standards, reduce human rights abuses and mitigate poverty.

What is CSR?

Corporate Social responsibility in the past few decades has intrigued not only the scholars but the practioners as well. It is essentially a concept whereby companies decide voluntarily to contribute to a better society and a cleaner environment? (European Commission, 2001). Companies consider themselves as an integral part of the society and act in a socially responsible way (EC, 2001). Till very recently it was viewed as philanthropic activity indulged into only when the firms were in jeopardy. But it is now viewed to be inclusive, broad and diverse. CSR is now viewed as integral part of business strategy to minimize the business risks linked to uncertainty. Though the critic are of the view, CSR is nothing but Corporate Conspiracy to Snatch Resources (CSR), in the name of CSR.

Where are the jobs?

Most of the multinational Corporate have their CSR wing and Deptt exclusively dedicated for doing community development and CSR activities directly or indirectly in the vicinity of their operations. In other companies CSR is running under HR or Environment Deptt.They recruit professionals from Social work,rural development and other developmental fields to undertake and manage the CSR activities of company. It is observed that companies whose operations directly impact the nature like mining, manufacturing, power generations etc have CSR wing quite active to tackle the grievances of nearby population and engage the stakeholders. In green field projects we have seen corporate giant and Govt struggling hard to get the land acquisitions and Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) issues solved, here also CSR professionals are in great demand.
Due to the diversity of this career area, opportunities exist within the private, public and voluntary sectors. It is important to highlight that many CSR roles may not be titled as such but their job content may reflect CSR activities.



Private Sector - Larger companies may have CSR departments or have CSR functions located within particular areas including marketing, communications, environmental management, public affairs, investor relations, finance, operations and human resources. Opportunities are also opening up in the large accounting and consulting firms, many of which are trying to compete with the niche CSR consulting firms by offering their own CSR client services.

Public Sector - CSR career options can be found in national government agencies, PSUs and international organizations.

Nonprofits and research - There are a wide variety of non-governmental organizations (NGO?s), industry associations, think tanks and academic institutions engaging in learning and/or advocacy within the CSR arena. Such groups promote and examine the use of CSR concepts within the private and public spheres. For example:
CSR ? still an emerging profession?
There is no such thing as a typical career path in CSR and there is no single professional body at present that represents the needs and interests of all those working in the field. This is due to the diverse disciplines involved and also the complexity of the roles and responsibilities of a CSR practitioner. The process of establishing and responding to the CSR agenda within an organization will require specialists with specific CSR competencies.

What qualifications are needed for a CSR role?

There are no specific qualifications required for this field but there are an increasing number of qualifications becoming available at Masters Level and as part of MBA courses. The professional courses like Master of Social Works (MSW) MBA in rural development and Post Graduate Diploma in Rural development offered by different universities and reputed institution may be right option for career in CSR.

What skills or competencies would be required for a CSR role?

This is hard to clarify due to the diverse roles and range of disciplines involved. Though the major skills required for successful CSR Professional are
•Business skills (including building insight, communication skills, decision making, commercial awareness, IT, innovation, strategic awareness, leadership, handling complexity and problem solving)
• People skills (including adaptability and empathy, developing others, influencing without power, open minded, integrity, political awareness, self-development and learning, building partnerships, team working and questioning "business as usual")
• Technical skills (including technical expertise, understanding impacts, stakeholder dialogue, internal consultancy, selling the business case, understanding human rights and understanding sustainability).
From above three skills, following 6 core competencies are listed for managers involved with CSR in organizations:
•Understanding society
•Building capacity
•Questioning business as usual
•Stakeholder relations
•Strategic view
•Harnessing diversity



How do I find out more about CSR roles?

•Browse relevant websites and job listings - build up knowledge of what skills, qualifications and experience are being asked for.
•Check out the following reference books in the ?Getting Started? section of the Careers Information Room:
The Ethical Careers Guide - Business Ethics section
The Sustainable Careers Handbook
•Consider joining a CSR network
•Organize an internship, work experience or voluntary placement.

How do I find a job in CSR?

This very much depends on which area of CSR you are interested in and the type of organization you want to work for. Many direct CSR roles require specialist knowledge and business experience and therefore may not be open to those on graduate programmes or just starting out with a company. You may have to take a longer term strategy and build up your skills and experience in relevant areas first. However, there are jobs out there so here are a few tips:
•Companies recruits professional both fresher and experienced through advertising in media or internal sources.
•Search-out the companies/foundations/trust of company owners doing CSR Works.
•Think hard about organizations you admire and research their values and culture. What is their stance on CSR? Is it embedded in their core values? Do they have opportunities for getting involved with CSR activities? Search out their Websites and CSR Sections.
•Most of the CSR Jobs are done by NGOs so search out the NGOs having linkages with big corporate.
•Some consultancies have CSR departments and take on people in this area. For environmental consultancies with a CSR interest check out these too.
•Get some CSR experience by securing an internship, work placement or by volunteering to assist an organization with their CSR project.
•Keep up to date with CSR developments. Monitor CSR websites and newspaper articles.
•Consider further study. Some consultancies for example, prefer graduates with business or NGO experience and/or a Masters level qualification in a CSR related area.
•Monitor online job listings or register with a recruitment agency that handles CSR vacancies .



To Know About the Institutes Offering Courses on CSR, Please Contact:

Manish Lahoty
THE RIGHT PATH
(An Initiative of Time Education & Immigration Consultants)
E!!@, LGF,
Kalkaji, New Delhi
+91 9953 070305