ProProfs – Business Management Quiz 1 Business Quiz with Multiple Choice...

Social Media Recruiting Finding the right job is a herculean task and it reminds me of this saying, “When you want to have something you’ve never had,  You have to do something you’ve never done.”   Job Hunting: I would rather use the term ‘Job Hunting’ than ‘Job Searching’ because competition is so much so that you feel lost in the crowd. The job market scenario does not look very appealing in spite of being well-qualified for the respective positions. Everybody talks about ‘Cracking the Jobs with Hacking the Resumes’ and ‘Preparing a killer resume that is likely to pull you towards a dream job’.     The sad part of the story is, “Dream jobs never exist and how can you land on something that is not there?” Of course, I go with you, ‘Resumes are indispensable for kick-starting the process; yet you need that extra something, which I would like to call the ‘J’ factor (people are getting bored of ‘X’ factor ‘J’ stands for job factor).   Social Media Networking: Let me put it simply; you have to get noticed to capture the plum job. Market yourself in such a way that recruiters can never say no. Well, you guessed it right, “SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORKING” within quotes is the need of the hour and NOW-A-DAYS recruiters gauge the personality of the prospective candidates through social media networking sites like FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND LINKEDIN. Are you a people-person? Social media recruiting has become indispensable and most of the recruiting agencies overlook traditional channels like employment exchanges and classifieds and prefer the former source as the approach is more direct and focused. If you have a well-built profile in Facebook or LinkedIn your chances of landing on an enterprising job is guaranteed. Further. if you are an active member of a LinkedIn group or a Google Community, you stand a bright chance to capture the attention of big recruiters searching for the right talent. How prepared are you? The question is ‘How prepared are you to link a bait’ and ‘What are your chances?’ Social media recruiting has become a routine process in most of the ‘top-most’ companies and if you are not aware of the significance, you have everything to lose. Try to understand that, 40% of people socialize more online than they do face-to-face, 100.000 tweets are sent, 2 million queries are searched on Google and 684.478 pieces of content are shared on Facebook every minute. (Statistics courtesy- http://www.onrec.com/) Bumper Benefits for the recruiter: By using social media as a recruiting source companies straight away Cut the exorbitant outsourcing bill payments to external HR agencies as this is completely free Direct contact with the candidate and can assess his personality first hand Word of mouth referrals through social media (Social media is modern day word of mouth marketing) do the companies and employers Himalayan good by making prospective candidates stand in queue before them which otherwise proves to be a tough and expensive task. There is less spam as the communication is transparent that proves to be a win-win situation for both, the employer as well as the potential candidate Employers can bang on their potential targets by clear-cut job specifications and LinkedIn proves to be the top most destinations for social media recruiters. Social media recruiting fits companies of varying sizes and spheres In a single click the employers and recruiters have access to almost all information needed to write an authentic ‘Biography’ about you. If LinkedIn profile supplies professional information, Facebook shows your personal side. It raises a question though, ‘Are you social media-responsible?’, In other words ‘Are you behaving properly in the virtual...

Basic Trends in HRD – #Human Resource Development The basic motive of HRD would be to develop an enduring and healthy #work culture. It should also take into its fold the #training and developmental aspects of the workforce that forms the significant segment of the organization. It is a means to improve the overall organizational effectiveness but not an end in itself. HRD Philosophy: The philosophy of an organization is understood through #policies and operations and not merely through its programmes. HRD policies, #plans and action must commence from business #strategy. The key to the success of HRD is undoubtedly good industrial relations enhanced by effective #employee participation and existence of good #collective bargaining machinery. A Source of Motivation: Though #man power planning, training and #appraisal seem to be the core activities of HRD, it must also be used as an instrument for changing the work culture and motivating the workforce. This considerably improves the network of communication resulting in a sea change or turn around in terms of employee participation and #commitment. Concept of HRD: The #business environment is dynamic and so are the demands of the market. It is but important to review the organization structure to meet these demands of the changed environment. To establish and endure a #productive work culture to bring about improvements in organizational as well as technological disciplines. To train and develop employees in new skills for new #technology advanced operations and effective #performance. To bring about progress in the motivational #climate of the organization To bring the systems and procedures in line to deliver the expected results To reinforce participative culture and safety systems To maintain peaceful industrial relations in the production environment To revamp man power planning in order to match the individuals with jobs to #optimize utilization of available skills. Changing Environment: The process of HRD is directly linked to OD to facilitate the development of an organization in totality. To restructure organization in terms of #physical resource, #monetary resource and technology, one has to first understand the changes happening and challenges existing in the immediate external environment. Some of them would be #Competitor Pressure #Globalization of markets Rising aspirations of people at large Governmental policies etc., How has HR used #social media? A relatively late-adaptor, HR has largely used social media in recruitment…and indeed how!!! – In 2010 in US, only 6% of companies were using social media for recruitment, now that has exploded to 89% – 82 of the Fortune 100 companies uses the corporate hiring solutions of #LinkedIn – About 21% of working professionals are looking for a job – social media helps companies tap into the other 79% as well. Bullhorn’s 2012 Social Recruiting Activity Report says:“A #Twitter follower is almost 3 times more likely to apply to a job posting than a LinkedIn connection and 8 times more likely to apply than a #Facebook friend.” Human Resources professionals understand that social media ishere to stay…That’s the easy answer!!!The challenge is integrating use of a cohesive, relevant andeffective social media strategy aligned to the overall HR & business strategy of the organization. Information Courtesy – by National HRD...

Innovation – The BUZZ Word Execution with Perfection: Technological advancement in the fields of aerospace, computers and communication has transformed the world we live in today, into a ‘GLOBAL VILLAGE.’ While most of the countries look to the U.S to adopt and follow management techniques , it is quite amazing to know that the U.S look to Japan for implementing these techniques more effectively. As we all know that Japanese are very good when it comes to “Execution with Perfection.”The point here is not to establish or brand that one is better than the other but rather to suggest that many countries can contribute to innovative managerial theories  and practices and let it be a mutual affair. Management practices and thinking: Innovation is the Buzz word that has defined the paradigm shift in the approach of management practices and thinking. This has helped organizations grow and sustain regardless of competitor and market pressure and challenges. Innovation management gives entrepreneurs the liberty to think out of the box and come up with new ideas leading to the development of new products, processes and services.  Change is Inevitable: Change is inevitable and change is the one that never changes. People love variety and it is the responsibility of business people to satisfy the customer wants and requirements. New approaches are required to avoid monotony and stereotyping. “Old wine in a new bottle” concept may come in handy when you feel that your product has reached the saturation point and about to decline in its life cycle.   Picture Courtesy: Digital Information World   Inspiration from the Internet Let us look at some services available on the Internet that exist as proofs for innovative and strategic thinking:  1. IRCTC –  The e-ticketing portal of Indian Railways. Saves lot of time and effort. Connects huge number of metros and small towns.  Tatkal scheme is a huge hit and a great revenue generator for the railways. The interface is very user friendly and interactive. 2. Bharat Matrimony – Online matrimonial service that assists brides and grooms to find their perfect partners. Profiles can be created to express your views and expectations on your life partner.  3. Make my Trip – Helps you to plan your travel, ticketing and accommodation, all in one place. Extensive data is available for people’s benefit.  4. Facebook – Gives you the liberty of having your own space to connect with number of people. Helps as well to promote your business. Facebook generates huge revenue through advertisement banners positioned at the right niches.  5. Twitter – Again a social networking portal that helps in link building. Retweets make the scope of you reach wide and bright.    Education Portals: Educational portals that offer online learning, management portals that teach online MBA, Auction websites with numerous products at affordable prices, travel websites, online portals for paying tax and duties have transformed the lives of individuals and organizations for good. The full bloom of internet is yet to be seen when many more third world nations will have the opportunity to access the...

Customer Centric or Product Centric Customer centric: refers to the orientation of a company to the needs and behaviors of its customers. Product centric: refers to the orientation of a company towards manufacturing and improving the product line. All products that enter the market are not given the kind of welcome which only certain products are able to enjoy. Why is that only few products are top notch and others average performers? The answer is very simple, you need to be customer centric rather focusing on improving your product and its range. What is the fun in making products that go bland over a period of time? Creating an appealing product does not suffice the requirements of the consumers. Understanding the consumer, his needs and preferences makes you a good marketer. “What people want to buy and what you want people to buy are entirely two different entities.” Customer Wanton and Preferences Marketing is a concept that talks about creating a favorable environment or identifying a niche where you can sell your products comfortably or where the products can sell themselves provided the focus is on the target customer. What companies do now in the name of marketing is nothing but product promotion that exhausts huge chunk of money from the management’s treasury. Business schools have a great role to play in idealizing these concepts for the better understanding of management graduates, make them deliver the right choice of action in real time environment. Marketing starts right from developing a prospective business idea into a concrete business plan followed by branding and promotions. But the product base has to be built upon customer wanton and preferences. Indigenous Products The soft drink “Bovonto” is very popular and a preferred drink in south of Tamilnadu, India and the manufacturers have their plants at various places in Tamilnadu. Although not a big name in the international market, it is a direct competitor for Coke and Pepsi in the southern regions of Tamilnadu. The grape vine is that the product is a perfect “market fit”. To our amusement and amazement the product has communicated well with the market place through taste and quality. Here is the unerring message, ‘Let the product speak for itself’. Indigenous products always gain instant recognition as they connect well with the local people emotionally. If people of each and every country vows only to buy indigenous products, many MNC’s would be out of business and filing for bankruptcy. Such is the power of the market and people who are the owners of the market. What is that ‘X’ factor that makes your product different and unique Let’s look at it from another perspective. Incidentally you happen to develop a great product and you want to market the product. This situation calls for patenting the product and again it can be made market centric by finding the right market segment for the product and promoting it in such a way that the product content appeals to the market. Tell the masses how your product can solve specific problems through its unique content. What is that ‘X’ factor that makes your product different and unique as well is what you have to communicate to the people whom you are targeting. Facebook has revolutionized the internet marketplace by offering simple and user friendly interface and a sophisticated niche for each and every individual who wants to make his/ her presence felt. A good business plan is one which incorporates the best of ideas from all spheres of the company, as marketing is not a separate entity and promotions call for huge investments. Many companies fail to understand the basis of market success which...