A Nice Article By Swami Vivekananda...............
I once had a friend who grew to be very close to me.
Once when we were sitting at the edge of a swimming pool, she
filled the palm of her hand with some water and held it
before me, and said this:
"You see this water carefully contained on my hand? It
symbolizes Love."
This was how I saw it:
As long as you keep your hand caringly open and allow it to
remain there, it will always be there. However, if you
attempt to close your fingers round it and try to posses it,
it will spill through the first cracks it finds
This is the greatest mistake that people do when they meet
love...they try to posses it, they
demand, they expect... and just like the water spilling out
of your hand, love
will retrieve from you. For love is meant to be free, you
cannot change its nature. If there are people you love, allow
them to be free beings.
Give and don't expect.
Advise, but don't order.
Ask, but never demand.
It might sound simple, but it is a lesson that may take a
lifetime to truly practice. It is the secret to true love. To
truly practice it, you must sincerely feel no expectations
from those who you love, and yet an unconditional caring."
Passing thought...
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take; but by
the moments that take our breath away.....
Life is beautiful!!!
Live it !!!
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Why Me????
Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player was dyingof AIDS.
Fromworld over, he received letters from his fans, one ofwhichconveyed :"Why does GOD have to select you for such a baddisease"?
To this Arthur Ashe replied:
The world over --
5 crore children start playing tennis,
50 lakh learn to play tennis,
5 lakh learn professional tennis,
50,000 come to the circuit,
5000 reach the grand slam,
50 reach Wimbeldon,
4 to semi final,
2 to the finals,
When I was holding a cup I never asked GOD "Why me?".
And today in pain I should not be asking GOD "Why me?"
Happiness keeps u Sweet,
Trials keep u Strong,
Sorrow keeps u Human ,
Failure Keeps u Humble,
Success keeps u Glowing,
But only God Keeps u Going.
Fromworld over, he received letters from his fans, one ofwhichconveyed :"Why does GOD have to select you for such a baddisease"?
To this Arthur Ashe replied:
The world over --
5 crore children start playing tennis,
50 lakh learn to play tennis,
5 lakh learn professional tennis,
50,000 come to the circuit,
5000 reach the grand slam,
50 reach Wimbeldon,
4 to semi final,
2 to the finals,
When I was holding a cup I never asked GOD "Why me?".
And today in pain I should not be asking GOD "Why me?"
Happiness keeps u Sweet,
Trials keep u Strong,
Sorrow keeps u Human ,
Failure Keeps u Humble,
Success keeps u Glowing,
But only God Keeps u Going.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Nice joke
A little boy wanted Rs.50 very badly and prayed for weeks, but nothing
happened.
Finally he decided to write God a letter requesting the Rs.50.
When the postal authorities received the letter addressed to God, INDIA,
they decided to forward it to the President of the India as a joke.
The President was so amused, that he instructed his secretary to send
the little boy Rs.20.
The President thought this would appear to be a lot of money (Rs.50) to
a little boy, and he did not want to spoil the kid.
...
....
The little boy was delighted with Rs.20, and decided to write a thank
you note to God, which read:
"Dear God: Thank you very much for sending the money. However, I noticed
that you sent it through the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, and those
donkeys deducted Rs.30 in taxes ... "
happened.
Finally he decided to write God a letter requesting the Rs.50.
When the postal authorities received the letter addressed to God, INDIA,
they decided to forward it to the President of the India as a joke.
The President was so amused, that he instructed his secretary to send
the little boy Rs.20.
The President thought this would appear to be a lot of money (Rs.50) to
a little boy, and he did not want to spoil the kid.
...
....
The little boy was delighted with Rs.20, and decided to write a thank
you note to God, which read:
"Dear God: Thank you very much for sending the money. However, I noticed
that you sent it through the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, and those
donkeys deducted Rs.30 in taxes ... "
Monday, March 14, 2005
Its Just a word about Gregorian Calendar
The Gregorian calendar, or New Style calendar, was slowly adopted throughout Europe. It is used today throughout most of the Western world and in parts of Asia. When the Gregorian calendar was adopted in Great Britain in 1752, another correction of an 11-day discrepancy was made; the day after September 2, 1752, became September 14.
The British also adopted January 1 as the day when a new year begins. The Soviet Union adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1918, and Greece adopted it in 1923 for civil purposes, but many countries affiliated with the Greek church retain the Julian, or Old Style, calendar for the celebration of church feasts.
The Gregorian calendar is also called the Christian calendar because it uses the birth of Jesus Christ thought in 1 BC, as a starting date. Dates of the Christian era (see Chronology) are often designated AD (Latin: anno domini, "in the year of our Lord") and BC (before Christ).
As indicated, the Gregorian calendar is basically a Christian calendar. The official Christian church calendar is a table containing the holy days, saints' days, and festivals of the church, with the dates of the civil calendar on which they occur. These include the fixed feasts, such as Christmas, and the movable feasts, which depend on the date of Easter. The most important early church calendar was compiled by Furius Dionisius Philocalus about 354. After the Reformation, the German Lutheran church retained the Roman calendar, as did the Church of England and some other Anglican churches. The calendar of the Protestant Episcopal church retains only those festivals that have a scriptural origin. The principal seasons of the church calendar observed by most Christians are, in order, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, and Trinity.
The British also adopted January 1 as the day when a new year begins. The Soviet Union adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1918, and Greece adopted it in 1923 for civil purposes, but many countries affiliated with the Greek church retain the Julian, or Old Style, calendar for the celebration of church feasts.
The Gregorian calendar is also called the Christian calendar because it uses the birth of Jesus Christ thought in 1 BC, as a starting date. Dates of the Christian era (see Chronology) are often designated AD (Latin: anno domini, "in the year of our Lord") and BC (before Christ).
As indicated, the Gregorian calendar is basically a Christian calendar. The official Christian church calendar is a table containing the holy days, saints' days, and festivals of the church, with the dates of the civil calendar on which they occur. These include the fixed feasts, such as Christmas, and the movable feasts, which depend on the date of Easter. The most important early church calendar was compiled by Furius Dionisius Philocalus about 354. After the Reformation, the German Lutheran church retained the Roman calendar, as did the Church of England and some other Anglican churches. The calendar of the Protestant Episcopal church retains only those festivals that have a scriptural origin. The principal seasons of the church calendar observed by most Christians are, in order, Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, and Trinity.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
What is Effective Communication ??
Jack and Max are walking from religious service. Jack wonders whether it would
be all right to smoke while praying.
Max replies, "Why don't you ask the Priest?"
So Jack goes up to the Priest and asks, "Priest,may I smoke while I pray?"
But the Priest says,
"No, my son, you may not. That's utter disrespect to our religion."
Jack goes back to his friend and tells him what the good Priest told him.
Max says, "I'm not surprised. You asked the wrong question. Let me try."
And so Max goes up to the Priest and asks, "Priest, may I pray while I smoke?"
To which the Priest eagerly replies, "By all means, my son. By all means."
Moral : The reply you get depends on the question you ask.
For Example : Can I work on this project while I'm on vacation ?!? :)
be all right to smoke while praying.
Max replies, "Why don't you ask the Priest?"
So Jack goes up to the Priest and asks, "Priest,may I smoke while I pray?"
But the Priest says,
"No, my son, you may not. That's utter disrespect to our religion."
Jack goes back to his friend and tells him what the good Priest told him.
Max says, "I'm not surprised. You asked the wrong question. Let me try."
And so Max goes up to the Priest and asks, "Priest, may I pray while I smoke?"
To which the Priest eagerly replies, "By all means, my son. By all means."
Moral : The reply you get depends on the question you ask.
For Example : Can I work on this project while I'm on vacation ?!? :)
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Good one!!!!
* What's better than focusing on the negative ?
Focus on the positive
· What's better than working hard ?
Its working smart
· What's better than doing something for yourself ?
Doing something for your country
· What's better than a vision ?
A cause
· What's better than a long speech ?
Definitely, a short one
"Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be."
Focus on the positive
· What's better than working hard ?
Its working smart
· What's better than doing something for yourself ?
Doing something for your country
· What's better than a vision ?
A cause
· What's better than a long speech ?
Definitely, a short one
"Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be."
Thursday, February 17, 2005
A Programmer's key to survival
Gartner's top ten IT trends predicts the "death of a programmer" within the next eight to ten years. With tools doing more than 75 percent of coding in the not so distant future, the role of a programmer will be marginalised within the next decade. To survive and thrive in a highly competitive ever-changing environment, it will become imperative for programmers to acquire other skills and channelise into additional streams. For the lakhs of hopefuls who want to enter the IT industry within the next five to ten years, this would mean a more focused career approach and consequently a much greater challenge than what is being faced by new entrants into the industry presently.
Partha Iyengar, vice president and research director at Gartner Research, considers the "death of a programmer" a too dramatic term. "De-emphasising the role of a programmer would be the right terminology," he says, adding that looking back at the history of programming languages…1GL/2GL/3GL/4GL-there has been increasing capabilities of software tools and decreasing capabilities of programmers.
The perspective of looking at a software developer as a coder is going to witness a sea change. "They have to look at career upgrade to become solution architects, quality testers, understand business domain and branch out," says Satyen Parikh, Borland-India's managing director. The tools should be viewed not as replacements for programmers but the via media for increasing their productivity. Parikh points out that a developer plays an important part in the team and this is where he should be more effective: "In engineering, everything is team work. Software development discipline is difficult to work in-there is resource shortage, projects are behind deadline, the customer is never happy and the team keeps changing, how a developer plays his role in all this will be the key to his career success."
Impact on the industry
The Indian IT industry is increasingly seeing more business skills being demanded from service providers by their clients. "This will decrease the value proposition of the army of Java programmers to smaller numbers and business-savvy tech professionals will be in demand. Clients in the US and UK demand technical professionals speaking the language of business," states Iyengar, insisting that organisations have to soon start focusing on business skills.
Dilip Thomas Ittyera, CTO of Zensar Technologies believes that the key is to turn code sweatshops into specialised designing hubs: "In the near future we need engineers as designers, architects, etc, instead of programmers, as in coders. The truth is that when most software engineers come fresh out of school, like other engineers they are ready to start a career in engineering, but we turn them into coders. If this does not change soon, we will lose the position of advantage that we enjoy around the globe." The change will evidently lead to a change in business models-from arbitrage on the conversion factor between the US dollar and the Indian rupee to value-added design capabilities, which are higher up in the value chain. Ittyera foresees design collaborations between global teams, which will include generation and assembly units that will convert these designs to executable applications and test them.
The fact that the IT industry in India also needs to move from back-end work to front-end operations cannot be overlooked. Says Iyengar, "For this they need the human resources and skills. Companies show better capabilities at front-end will be successful. Those that will not will remain at the sub-contracting level."
Job market
The recruiter will no longer ask "how many years of programming" or "how many lines of code", but would want to know if the code has made a difference to the product. The attitude, approach and whole mindset will be the focal factors, feels Parikh.
Employers will not look for technical skills but also a combination of business skills. Iyengar perdicts a boarder base for hiring-not just technical professionals and MBAs, but from Commerce as well as Arts backgrounds. He adds: "It is well known that pure techies are not always comfortable with clients. They are not people's people and consequently there are often complaints. So IT organisations in India will need employees who have people as well as business skills and a thin level of technology." The hiring pattern will evidently change dramatically. Apart from an increasing focus on MBA, programmers will move away from service orientation to programming jobs in product companies, which might lead to high level of innovation. Hiring of programmers will be done by product companies for R&D.
Re-skilling
While IT organisations will continue to need some level of programming talent (maybe one-fifth of the present demand), programmers would have to look at reskilling themselves. With changing times, they would need to have a very open mindset, a strong adaptation to change and keenness to adopt and learn technology. "It would be appropriate for engineers to be aware of business administration, finance, marketing, HR-and extended knowledge of business domain," says Parikh.
Ittyera points out that as market needs will move to engineers with design capability from current coding capability, there will initially be a shortage of supply and organisations will be forced to transform their workforce to meet this short supply. They have to go back to the basics, apply design skills and learn different architectures.
Advice to students
For millions of students who dream of successful career opportunities in the IT industry, the right qualification will not be sufficient. "My advice to students is-focus on the fundamentals of software engineering rather than on specific programming skills. That never gets obsolete," says Ganesh Natarajan, deputy chairman and CEO of Zensar.
Ittyera adds, "Students should get more hands-on on design projects than those that focus on writing some useless VB application as part of their course requirement."
It is also necessary for students to be well-informed of the changing the industry dynamics. Parikh emphasises that they should get acclimatised to follow industry intricacies, meet the people, have practical round of views so that when they enter the industry they are not naivetes.
The key is to avoid the herd mentality and be more aware. "They have to look at opportunities. Skills will be more dynamic. Companies will move from title-based resources to role-based resources. It will be a challenging time for students to match their interest with their career path, which won't be as clear-cut," concedes Iyengar.
The good news is broader academic hiring by IT companies in the future. Says Iyengar, "Today if you are not an engineer, you can say goodbye to a career in IT. This will be possible in the future, though finding the right slot will be a challenge."
Partha Iyengar, vice president and research director at Gartner Research, considers the "death of a programmer" a too dramatic term. "De-emphasising the role of a programmer would be the right terminology," he says, adding that looking back at the history of programming languages…1GL/2GL/3GL/4GL-there has been increasing capabilities of software tools and decreasing capabilities of programmers.
The perspective of looking at a software developer as a coder is going to witness a sea change. "They have to look at career upgrade to become solution architects, quality testers, understand business domain and branch out," says Satyen Parikh, Borland-India's managing director. The tools should be viewed not as replacements for programmers but the via media for increasing their productivity. Parikh points out that a developer plays an important part in the team and this is where he should be more effective: "In engineering, everything is team work. Software development discipline is difficult to work in-there is resource shortage, projects are behind deadline, the customer is never happy and the team keeps changing, how a developer plays his role in all this will be the key to his career success."
Impact on the industry
The Indian IT industry is increasingly seeing more business skills being demanded from service providers by their clients. "This will decrease the value proposition of the army of Java programmers to smaller numbers and business-savvy tech professionals will be in demand. Clients in the US and UK demand technical professionals speaking the language of business," states Iyengar, insisting that organisations have to soon start focusing on business skills.
Dilip Thomas Ittyera, CTO of Zensar Technologies believes that the key is to turn code sweatshops into specialised designing hubs: "In the near future we need engineers as designers, architects, etc, instead of programmers, as in coders. The truth is that when most software engineers come fresh out of school, like other engineers they are ready to start a career in engineering, but we turn them into coders. If this does not change soon, we will lose the position of advantage that we enjoy around the globe." The change will evidently lead to a change in business models-from arbitrage on the conversion factor between the US dollar and the Indian rupee to value-added design capabilities, which are higher up in the value chain. Ittyera foresees design collaborations between global teams, which will include generation and assembly units that will convert these designs to executable applications and test them.
The fact that the IT industry in India also needs to move from back-end work to front-end operations cannot be overlooked. Says Iyengar, "For this they need the human resources and skills. Companies show better capabilities at front-end will be successful. Those that will not will remain at the sub-contracting level."
Job market
The recruiter will no longer ask "how many years of programming" or "how many lines of code", but would want to know if the code has made a difference to the product. The attitude, approach and whole mindset will be the focal factors, feels Parikh.
Employers will not look for technical skills but also a combination of business skills. Iyengar perdicts a boarder base for hiring-not just technical professionals and MBAs, but from Commerce as well as Arts backgrounds. He adds: "It is well known that pure techies are not always comfortable with clients. They are not people's people and consequently there are often complaints. So IT organisations in India will need employees who have people as well as business skills and a thin level of technology." The hiring pattern will evidently change dramatically. Apart from an increasing focus on MBA, programmers will move away from service orientation to programming jobs in product companies, which might lead to high level of innovation. Hiring of programmers will be done by product companies for R&D.
Re-skilling
While IT organisations will continue to need some level of programming talent (maybe one-fifth of the present demand), programmers would have to look at reskilling themselves. With changing times, they would need to have a very open mindset, a strong adaptation to change and keenness to adopt and learn technology. "It would be appropriate for engineers to be aware of business administration, finance, marketing, HR-and extended knowledge of business domain," says Parikh.
Ittyera points out that as market needs will move to engineers with design capability from current coding capability, there will initially be a shortage of supply and organisations will be forced to transform their workforce to meet this short supply. They have to go back to the basics, apply design skills and learn different architectures.
Advice to students
For millions of students who dream of successful career opportunities in the IT industry, the right qualification will not be sufficient. "My advice to students is-focus on the fundamentals of software engineering rather than on specific programming skills. That never gets obsolete," says Ganesh Natarajan, deputy chairman and CEO of Zensar.
Ittyera adds, "Students should get more hands-on on design projects than those that focus on writing some useless VB application as part of their course requirement."
It is also necessary for students to be well-informed of the changing the industry dynamics. Parikh emphasises that they should get acclimatised to follow industry intricacies, meet the people, have practical round of views so that when they enter the industry they are not naivetes.
The key is to avoid the herd mentality and be more aware. "They have to look at opportunities. Skills will be more dynamic. Companies will move from title-based resources to role-based resources. It will be a challenging time for students to match their interest with their career path, which won't be as clear-cut," concedes Iyengar.
The good news is broader academic hiring by IT companies in the future. Says Iyengar, "Today if you are not an engineer, you can say goodbye to a career in IT. This will be possible in the future, though finding the right slot will be a challenge."
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Friday, February 11, 2005
A Joke----Visitying Niagara
Tourists at Niagra falls.
Guide: "I welcome you all to the Niagra Falls. These are the world's
largest WaterFalls and the sound intesity of the WaterFall is so high,
sound of even 20 supersonic planes passing can't be heard!
Now may I request the ladies to keep quiet so that we can hear the Niagra
falls??..."
Dude, what's in a word?
An American linguist has caused a minor kerfuffle among etymologists and philologists by deconstructing the word 'dude' in a research paper.
A popular slang, 'dude,' according to University of Pittsburg researcher Scott Kiesling, denotes a cool solidarity - "an effortless kinship that's not too intimate" - among young American males.
Truly, dudism is rampant in American campuses and youthful social circles. 'Dude' has now joined other trendy American contributions such as nerd, hacker, geek, weirdo and jerk to the English language. Like a widely-used four-letter copulatory expression, also popularized by Americans, dude has many uses.
On occasion, it has also transmogrified into 'dudeski' (a Slavic dude?) :):)
It even made it to a cinema title in the 2000 movie "Dude, where's my car?" The academic interest in the dudism and dudeness, resulting in a solitary paper, is piffle compared to the erudition that has accompanied the abusive, and much-abused, F-word.
In fact, the F-word has occasioned a full book - by a Jesse Sheidlower and titled, naturally, "The F-Word." The Random House title is now in its second edition. It claims to be a complete and thorough scholarly examination of a single word, containing "everything you wanted to know about the English language's most notorious word, but were afraid to ask."
In fact, some people admire the versatility the f-word. It can be used as a verb (active and passive), a noun, an adjective, and even as an interjection or conjunction. Proponents of the word argue that aside its sexual overtones (or undertones), it can also be used to express a variety of emotions like confusion ("What the f-?"), apathy ("Who gives an f-, anyway?"), panic ("Let's get the f- out of here!"), and resignation ("Oh, f- it!")
Among the more recent users of the word is US vice-president Dick Cheney, whose name some wags said is suited for such expression. Another notorious user was Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon. John F Kerry used it last year in a Rolling Stones interview (his middle initial 'F' though stands for Forbes), asking, "Did I expect George Bush to f--- it up as badly as he did? I don't think anybody did." In India, we probably don't say it much; we just do it. F- things up, that is.
Unlike dude, which is of a relatively recent vintage (19th century - when it meant a scarecrow and later a well-dressed man), the origins of the f-word is shrouded in mystery. The American Heritage dates it back to a 16th century poem and some sources go as far back as the 13th century when a certain nobleman bore the name. But most assuredly, say experts, it is not an acronym for Fornication Under Control of King.
Given such historical antecedents of the f-word, one wonders if 'dude' will have the longevity of its more colourful companion. One suspects the dudes don't give an f- though they are the principle users of the word.
A popular slang, 'dude,' according to University of Pittsburg researcher Scott Kiesling, denotes a cool solidarity - "an effortless kinship that's not too intimate" - among young American males.
Truly, dudism is rampant in American campuses and youthful social circles. 'Dude' has now joined other trendy American contributions such as nerd, hacker, geek, weirdo and jerk to the English language. Like a widely-used four-letter copulatory expression, also popularized by Americans, dude has many uses.
On occasion, it has also transmogrified into 'dudeski' (a Slavic dude?) :):)
It even made it to a cinema title in the 2000 movie "Dude, where's my car?" The academic interest in the dudism and dudeness, resulting in a solitary paper, is piffle compared to the erudition that has accompanied the abusive, and much-abused, F-word.
In fact, the F-word has occasioned a full book - by a Jesse Sheidlower and titled, naturally, "The F-Word." The Random House title is now in its second edition. It claims to be a complete and thorough scholarly examination of a single word, containing "everything you wanted to know about the English language's most notorious word, but were afraid to ask."
In fact, some people admire the versatility the f-word. It can be used as a verb (active and passive), a noun, an adjective, and even as an interjection or conjunction. Proponents of the word argue that aside its sexual overtones (or undertones), it can also be used to express a variety of emotions like confusion ("What the f-?"), apathy ("Who gives an f-, anyway?"), panic ("Let's get the f- out of here!"), and resignation ("Oh, f- it!")
Among the more recent users of the word is US vice-president Dick Cheney, whose name some wags said is suited for such expression. Another notorious user was Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon. John F Kerry used it last year in a Rolling Stones interview (his middle initial 'F' though stands for Forbes), asking, "Did I expect George Bush to f--- it up as badly as he did? I don't think anybody did." In India, we probably don't say it much; we just do it. F- things up, that is.
Unlike dude, which is of a relatively recent vintage (19th century - when it meant a scarecrow and later a well-dressed man), the origins of the f-word is shrouded in mystery. The American Heritage dates it back to a 16th century poem and some sources go as far back as the 13th century when a certain nobleman bore the name. But most assuredly, say experts, it is not an acronym for Fornication Under Control of King.
Given such historical antecedents of the f-word, one wonders if 'dude' will have the longevity of its more colourful companion. One suspects the dudes don't give an f- though they are the principle users of the word.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
What does it take to be a CEO in an IT firm?
So, you chose a career in the most 'happening' field. Yes, Technology, IT, tech, software - call it whatever you want. Probably, the most competitive and fast growing areas in the current times.
All those from the new-pro brigade want to get into Information Technology as it offers faster growth and of course remuneration to match your skill set or even more.
What does it take to reach the top of the ladder in tech companies? What are tech CEOs made of?
"A good engineering degree is definitely a plus, but can not guarantee you a top slot in an IT companies. A management and engineering combination is definitely the ideal profile," says Gita Dang, Senior Client partner Korn Ferry International. Gita specialises in recruiting people at top levels especially in the tech arena.
Companies are looking for someone who can make them stand out in this rush of tech firms.
"We generally look at people with over 18 years of experience in the industry," she says.
Apart from the routine knowledge of the industry and the key challenges, today's scenario also demands someone who is capable of working in a global environment.
The tech marketplace is changing by the hour. The right candidate would be the one who understands not just the marketplace but also the effect of a particular technology on the business.
India is fast gaining importance as both the market and the resource for technology. MNC's look to India not just for talent, but also the masses, who would be the end users of that technological development.
"They want someone who can be understand the domestic market well and is also able to project it in relation to global business," Gita says.
Though the common notion says that a technically qualified person would do well when placed at the helm of affairs in a tech company, it's not always true.
Good business skills are necessary to run a company in any industry, and tech CEOs tend to focus more on good technology to make business success. In this competitive world, the coolest technology will fetch nothing if you can't market it properly, or if consumers aren't ready for it. That's what makes the CEO's or any other top ranking position so coveted and of course so very well paid.
Pay packets
As far as Indian market is concerned, we can now say the packages are at par with the global standards.
The salary range is very wide depending upon a person's skill set. More than that, scarcity of the talent you have will decide what your worth. Some very eligible candidates are missing out on great opportunities as they see a mirage is terms of salary. Since there has been so much hype about tech salaries, candidates wait for unrealistic pay packets.
If you think you have all of that and are ready for the top job, wait! A person has to pass through at least 4-5 rounds of interviews well before the salary negotiation begins. Working for a tech company brings with itself the added challenge of keeping oneself continuously updated. Thanks to fast changing technology, skills become obsolete overnight.
Age Factor
There's been so much talk about people getting to top positions at young age, courtesy tech jobs. But considering the prevalent trends, the companies in India and even MNCs remain more or less conservative in this regard. The average age for a top rank still remains around late thirties or forties.
And where do the firms find the hot CEO material?
"In India the internal recruitment network is still very strong," Gita says. Firms depend less on recruitment agencies or head hunters.
Attitude All of us seem to have loads of it, don't we?
Hang on you young pros! If you think that your attitude will get you your dream job, here's an eye opener. If you think top jobs are only about managing people, get your facts right. Hands-on approach can give you an edge over others. Apart from being a good manager, the CEO should also be able to rise up to the occasion when the ace techie doesn't turn up. This is more relevant when heading start ups.
Right formula for the CEO material -
Cutting edge skill set + global communication skills + hands on approach = IT CEO. Just get going!
-Meenakshi sundaram A
All those from the new-pro brigade want to get into Information Technology as it offers faster growth and of course remuneration to match your skill set or even more.
What does it take to reach the top of the ladder in tech companies? What are tech CEOs made of?
"A good engineering degree is definitely a plus, but can not guarantee you a top slot in an IT companies. A management and engineering combination is definitely the ideal profile," says Gita Dang, Senior Client partner Korn Ferry International. Gita specialises in recruiting people at top levels especially in the tech arena.
Companies are looking for someone who can make them stand out in this rush of tech firms.
"We generally look at people with over 18 years of experience in the industry," she says.
Apart from the routine knowledge of the industry and the key challenges, today's scenario also demands someone who is capable of working in a global environment.
The tech marketplace is changing by the hour. The right candidate would be the one who understands not just the marketplace but also the effect of a particular technology on the business.
India is fast gaining importance as both the market and the resource for technology. MNC's look to India not just for talent, but also the masses, who would be the end users of that technological development.
"They want someone who can be understand the domestic market well and is also able to project it in relation to global business," Gita says.
Though the common notion says that a technically qualified person would do well when placed at the helm of affairs in a tech company, it's not always true.
Good business skills are necessary to run a company in any industry, and tech CEOs tend to focus more on good technology to make business success. In this competitive world, the coolest technology will fetch nothing if you can't market it properly, or if consumers aren't ready for it. That's what makes the CEO's or any other top ranking position so coveted and of course so very well paid.
Pay packets
As far as Indian market is concerned, we can now say the packages are at par with the global standards.
The salary range is very wide depending upon a person's skill set. More than that, scarcity of the talent you have will decide what your worth. Some very eligible candidates are missing out on great opportunities as they see a mirage is terms of salary. Since there has been so much hype about tech salaries, candidates wait for unrealistic pay packets.
If you think you have all of that and are ready for the top job, wait! A person has to pass through at least 4-5 rounds of interviews well before the salary negotiation begins. Working for a tech company brings with itself the added challenge of keeping oneself continuously updated. Thanks to fast changing technology, skills become obsolete overnight.
Age Factor
There's been so much talk about people getting to top positions at young age, courtesy tech jobs. But considering the prevalent trends, the companies in India and even MNCs remain more or less conservative in this regard. The average age for a top rank still remains around late thirties or forties.
And where do the firms find the hot CEO material?
"In India the internal recruitment network is still very strong," Gita says. Firms depend less on recruitment agencies or head hunters.
Attitude All of us seem to have loads of it, don't we?
Hang on you young pros! If you think that your attitude will get you your dream job, here's an eye opener. If you think top jobs are only about managing people, get your facts right. Hands-on approach can give you an edge over others. Apart from being a good manager, the CEO should also be able to rise up to the occasion when the ace techie doesn't turn up. This is more relevant when heading start ups.
Right formula for the CEO material -
Cutting edge skill set + global communication skills + hands on approach = IT CEO. Just get going!
-Meenakshi sundaram A
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
What to avoid when negotiating your salary
by Michael Spiropoulos CEMAP
Most of us do not change jobs often enough to hone our skills in terms of salary negotiations. Nor do we possess lots of experience when it comes to negotiating a better salary at our salary review time. As a result it is not uncommon for people to enter into negotiations on the basis of hearsay and/or dangerous misconceptions.
What follows are negotiating approaches that you should avoid. Some may sound great at the pub or over a dinner conversation and they may have even worked for an individual that you know but that does not mean they represent sound negotiating techniques.
1. Avoid the aggressive cowboy approach.
The cowboy approach describes that person who rushes into negotiations with his/her guns ablazing, i.e., the person who generally thinks that they’re irreplaceable which entitles them to ask for unreasonable amounts of money. The cowboy negotiator believes that an uncompromising approach to negotiating is the best approach and that showing signs of weakness will only serve to undermine their campaign. They either get what they demand or they’re out looking for another job (which is common). Unless you are, in fact, irreplaceable then steer clear from this approach. And even if you are irreplaceable I would recommend a more modest approach.
2. Equally as dangerous as the aggressive cowboy is the submissive saint.
This person does not want to rock the boat or upset anyone. They’re so anxious at keeping the peace they’re willing to accept less than what they deserve. In fact, the very thought of having to negotiate sends shivers up their spines. This approach may work with some employers, but on the whole submissive saints are generally liked and underpaid – and they know it.
3. Avoid playing the politician.
The politician promises the earth to get his/her extra money but then finds a million excuses on why they can’t deliver. Politicians have short-term victories, but these soon sour. Their bosses soon wake up to them and refuse to play their game. Politicians tend to lack credibility within the organisation and are not highly regarded. If you make a commitment make sure you can keep it. Good negotiators think beyond short-term expediencies.
4. Avoid the "she’ll be right" syndrome.
In other words, moderate your reliance on your employer (unless, of course, you have an enlightened employer who has proven their worth). Whilst trust and cooperation in the workplace is an important ingredient for organisational success it should not be the overriding consideration when it comes to salary negotiations. Be sure you thoroughly prepare your case by ascertaining what the market is paying for people such as yourself and also be sure you can articulate clearly how you’ve added value (or will add value) to the organisation.
5. Avoid playing the jealous sibling.
The jealous sibling finds out what other individuals are earning (within their organisation as well as other organisations) and absolutely wants to be earning the same amount or more. Jealous siblings fail to take into consideration a whole lot of factors including their own abilities – on the whole they tend to overestimate their contributions. Whilst it’s great to know what the market is paying for your skills you shouldn’t be concerned about what other individuals are earning. Chances are that the figures you’re hearing are highly unreliable.
Most of us do not change jobs often enough to hone our skills in terms of salary negotiations. Nor do we possess lots of experience when it comes to negotiating a better salary at our salary review time. As a result it is not uncommon for people to enter into negotiations on the basis of hearsay and/or dangerous misconceptions.
What follows are negotiating approaches that you should avoid. Some may sound great at the pub or over a dinner conversation and they may have even worked for an individual that you know but that does not mean they represent sound negotiating techniques.
1. Avoid the aggressive cowboy approach.
The cowboy approach describes that person who rushes into negotiations with his/her guns ablazing, i.e., the person who generally thinks that they’re irreplaceable which entitles them to ask for unreasonable amounts of money. The cowboy negotiator believes that an uncompromising approach to negotiating is the best approach and that showing signs of weakness will only serve to undermine their campaign. They either get what they demand or they’re out looking for another job (which is common). Unless you are, in fact, irreplaceable then steer clear from this approach. And even if you are irreplaceable I would recommend a more modest approach.
2. Equally as dangerous as the aggressive cowboy is the submissive saint.
This person does not want to rock the boat or upset anyone. They’re so anxious at keeping the peace they’re willing to accept less than what they deserve. In fact, the very thought of having to negotiate sends shivers up their spines. This approach may work with some employers, but on the whole submissive saints are generally liked and underpaid – and they know it.
3. Avoid playing the politician.
The politician promises the earth to get his/her extra money but then finds a million excuses on why they can’t deliver. Politicians have short-term victories, but these soon sour. Their bosses soon wake up to them and refuse to play their game. Politicians tend to lack credibility within the organisation and are not highly regarded. If you make a commitment make sure you can keep it. Good negotiators think beyond short-term expediencies.
4. Avoid the "she’ll be right" syndrome.
In other words, moderate your reliance on your employer (unless, of course, you have an enlightened employer who has proven their worth). Whilst trust and cooperation in the workplace is an important ingredient for organisational success it should not be the overriding consideration when it comes to salary negotiations. Be sure you thoroughly prepare your case by ascertaining what the market is paying for people such as yourself and also be sure you can articulate clearly how you’ve added value (or will add value) to the organisation.
5. Avoid playing the jealous sibling.
The jealous sibling finds out what other individuals are earning (within their organisation as well as other organisations) and absolutely wants to be earning the same amount or more. Jealous siblings fail to take into consideration a whole lot of factors including their own abilities – on the whole they tend to overestimate their contributions. Whilst it’s great to know what the market is paying for your skills you shouldn’t be concerned about what other individuals are earning. Chances are that the figures you’re hearing are highly unreliable.
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