Is Working in Kerala injurious to Mallus?

The rising number of NEET - Young people Not in Employment, Education or Training is going to be the No: 1 social issue Kerala is facing now and will continue to face if we do not focus on skill development and an attitudinal shift towards all kinds of jobs. The problem is that, this kind of youth energy is currently being wasted for silly strikes or FB based movements or in political /religious matters , instead of being utilised for solving developmental problems! 

I always wonder- When malayalis go outside Kerala, they work so well and become the pillars of growth for those places, why doesnt it happen in Kerala? For eg: Gulf countries, the USA, Europe and to a certain extent the metros of India. Why are the youth of Kerala  lazy to work within Kerala ? Why dont we get candidates for  marketing /sales /call centers/ plumbing/electric works/ housekeeping/ food service/cooking etc ? Why do we have to depend on North Indian workers for Kochi Metro , when the local mallus are sitting idle or attending political party meetings? 

On a day to day basis , my company receives atleast 50 resumes from various candidates seeking jobs. But they all come with "conditions apply" demanding huge  salary and perks and never asking about what they can give back to the employer or whether they are equipped to meet the work profile. Most of them have real high airs about themselves and they think, they are doing a favour to the employer by accepting the job offer.  Most of the entrepreneurs whom I have met so far complain about only one thing - " Talent Crunch" .  Some of them lament that they have decided to shift operations to some other country/ state , because of lack of skilled and committed employees in Kerala. 

What is happening to the attitude of our Employment Seekers? Can we do something? Can we make our youth Employable? 

 #YesWeCan  

CeeVee 

TEN TIPS TO BECOME EMPLOYABLE WHILE YOU ARE STILL IN YOUR CAMPUS!

“The biggest problem that we face today is not UNEMPLOYMENT but UNEMPLOYABILITY”

What do employers look for in a candidate? What are those skills which make you employable? Apart from the technical skills and subject knowledge, employers expect their employees to have the following skills and attitude

· Language skills

· Communication skills

· Social and interpersonal skills

· Leadership and motivation

· Positive Attitude

In this scenario, I'm going to give you the secrets for becoming employable ! 

By practicing these tips while you are in the Campus, You are sure to be grabbed by the Best employers

TEN TIPS TO BECOME EMPLOYABLE WHILE YOU ARE STILL IN YOUR CAMPUS!

1. Set GOALS– Goals must be SMART (Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and Time bound) Dream about your Goal everyday!
2. Read ENGLISH newspapers daily
3. TALK in English to your classmates and to your faculty (don’t bother about your grammar and fluency
4. WATCH quiz, news and informative programs in English media. Also watch how great people have become GREAT!
5. PARTICIPATE in Extra curricular activities and management fests. (Just participate , don’t bother about the results)
6. GIVE & GET Feedback about your performance and your personality from your peer group .Take Criticisms as a chance to improve. Ask for feedback immediately after any performance lest they may forget. Put in additional efforts to correct your mistakes
7. Do Not COMPARE yourself with anybody else in the world! YOU ARE UNIQUE and You have to develop a unique identity of your Own
8. STOP COMPLAINING about the external factors and Count your Blessings. This will help you develop a POSITIVE Attitude (instead start analyzing your internal factors- your capabilities , your weakness etc)
9. Have a MENTOR who will guide you in difficult times and also motivate you in all aspects of your career and life (The difference between a role model and a mentor is that you aspire to be like your role model , and your mentor helps you in the process
10. Use Positive SELF AFFIRMATION statements like “Yes, I Can Do it!”, “I am confident “,” I will be Successful”. Shed all negative thoughts and egos. Ignore unproductive negative comments and criticisms. Positive criticism gives you the platform for improvement whereas negative criticism pulls your legs down so that you will fall!

Best Wishes

CeeVee 

( an article published in 2007. but the concepts are still relevant. Hence re posting)

Resolve this New Year!!

A new morning, a new day...

Yes, the sun rises as usual..But what makes the day special? 

Hey,Its a new year!.. 

A new year brings with it lots of hope and happiness along with it. Its a day when we feel that we are born fresh and that our life has something new to face ahead.

Its at this time that many people think of new year resolutions probably,because it will help them set a date for starting their wish.But the question is how many will be able to sustain their resolution till the end of the year??

Sustaining a resolution requires sheer willpower and a strong motivation.

Here are some tips I would suggest before you finalise your resolutions and stick to them

1.Keep it short and simple.Some people make a big list of wishes and ultimately nothing fruitful happens. I would suggest you to identify a maximum of three resolutions this year.

2. Choose a positive habit that you have to cultivate (eg:"Increase appreciating others")

3. Choose a negative habit that you have to curb (eg:"decrease procrastination")

4. Be realistic and practical when you set goals.For eg:saying that "I will stop eating Nonveg this year is not practical if you were eating it everyday. Instead ,"I will eat non veg only on sundays "is more practical , as you are also reducing intake but at the same time having an allowance of eating on sunday ,whereby you won't feel any "Withdrawal syndrome" .otherwise you may end up eating NV just at the sight of it, even by the end of January!

5.Convey your resolutions to your near and dear , so that they may also act accordingly.

6.You can also write down your goals in a poster and hang it in your room

7. See that you do not break your resolution for any reason .Refrain from any situation /activity which will revert the resolution.

8.Appreciate yourself.Whenever you stick to your resolution , talk to yourself and appreciate yourself for the good job.This will give you motivation for further sustaining ofthe resolution.

So,Those were some small tips for setting your new year resolutions...Think well and arrive at a single or as I said maximum of three resolutions .

New year is just another day for some people.But you can make it special .You can make it great ,by understanding yourself first and taking some strong resolutions which will transform your life and future!

Wishing you all the very best in your resolution setting ,

Here's Wishing all my lovelies... A Very HAPPY NEW YEAR!

CeeVee 

(an article originally published in 2008 by me)