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Career Opportunities in Corporate Communication Dr. Satyanarayana Pattnaik

Globalization of economy is the basic trend of 21st century. In this age of globalization, most of the academic discussions concentrating on communication management. This is important in the application of marketing techniques and overall development in the industry. The purpose of communication management is the accessibility of information flow from top management to bottom and vice-versa. It will be effective only when all parties (both internal groups as well as stakeholders) in the organization should be communicate and transfer the necessary information meaningfully and resourcefully. Communication is the cornerstone function of every organization to build up its status in the corporate world as well as its stakeholders. Communications is one of the most important link between an organization and the public. Communication generating from an organization and going out of its various audiences­­ ? whether within or beyond ? is termed as corporate communication. Communication is the key factor in the creation, implementation, monitoring and reporting on all corporate activities. Through communication, stakeholders understand company?s purpose, goals and values. Communication also aimed to influence employee?s attitude toward the workplace loyalty and pride in the company in which they are working. Major companies are considered communication as an effective tool to intensifying its scope and rationalizing its service. They have renewed their communication strategy to expand their business empire. Leading organizations have their own communication team with efficient communicators who are responsible for communication function with various national and international organizations. What is Corporate communication? Theoretically speaking, Corporate Communication plays a critical role in building and maintaining relationships with the stakeholders of a corporation. Media communications are an essential channel through which all stakeholders receive information and develop perceptions of a company. Corporate communications are effective in the successful business and its effects identified by the leading companies. It is equally important as technology since application of technology need to communicate effectively in the corporate world. Without effective communication corporate relationship will be impossible. Corporate Communications is the processes; a company uses to communicate all its messages to key constituencies. It encodes and promotes a strong corporate culture, a coherent corporate identity, an appropriate and professional relationship with the media, and quick, responsible ways of communicating in a crisis. It also defines how an organization communicates with its stakeholders and how that brings a company's values to life. Corporate Communications are often defined as the products of communications, memos, letters, reports, Web sites, community engagement, social and environmental initiatives or programs. These make up most importantly an aggregate of messages that a company sends to its audience whether internal or external. To put it simply, corporate communication is an umbrella that encompasses fields like advertising, public relations, internal communications, investor relations, crisis management, brand management, events and in some cases can extend to marketing as well. Communication in changing corporate sector Just until a few years ago, companies communicated with their consumers via press releases, and with their employees through internal bulletins. Today however, the importance of communication has gone up manifold. Now-a-days information technology and management are the recent trend in the career field. Most of the company is looking for the people who are able to make some changes. Communication skill is an essential element in this new generation job. Also employees should be able to take new challenges and to perform the job responsibility effectively. In this competitive world, employees should be able to understand the situation and to communicate the meaningful information in time. The field of corporate communication serves as an excellent example of the evolution of corporate functions and its subsequent impact in terms of career prospects. The field has undergone radical developments over the years and has become a full-fledged career option today. The number of job openings has increased what with more companies taking notice of its importance in business objectives, and a rise in competition. As competition grows and as reputation becomes more important, any company serious about its image will always have a need for corporate communication. This is one among a few areas where career opportunity is going upwards. Till about a decade ago, one would have never ordinarily followed a career in corporate communication. However, the influx of multinational companies (MNCs) has brought in new trends that are followed in developed countries. Several large, medium and even small sized companies now employ a full time executive dedicated to image building. With companies realising the potential benefits from corporate communication, there is no looking back for professionals in this field. In fact even NGOs have started hiring communication professionals to look at their ?corporate image?. Duties of Corporate Communicator As a corporate communicator, an individual becomes the face of the organisation. The skill sets required in corporate communications are an ability to articulate ideas, ability to write lucidly and above all? being a people?s person. The corporate communicators are involved in internal communication with employees and are responsible to effectively transmit information originating from the management. For a stock market listed company, the communication department within the organisation is responsible for channelling investor queries as well as ensuring a constant flow of information between various stakeholders. In large organisations, the advertising and PR strategies also fall within the ambit of corporate communication. Corporate Communication experts are the advocates for organisations in managing the complex communications that take places between organisations and their external and internal audiences. These specialist communicators are representing the organisation and make the organisation to aware of public views and attitudes. Other responsibilities of corporate communicators include media contacts, drafting press release, arrange and conduct programmes of internal and external communications. Corporate communication is responsible for creating and maintaining the brand and looking after the organisation's reputation. It works towards projecting an excellent image at all times. The positive image a company projects helps in moulding public opinion in its favour in times of an actual crisis. Specific responsibilities of a corporate communicator include: · Supervise the status of the organization · Develop, execute and evaluate communications strategies · Ensuring effective two-way internal communications · Taking the lead on media handling, proactively placing good news stories, dealing with enquiries and producing media releases · Developing links with other departments, which enhances the smooth functioning. · Planning proactive communications · Leading public relations, including customer services · Playing a key role in issue management and planning · Ensuring that other health organizations are kept fully briefed on developments, plans and any incidents in your organization · Producing high quality information service · Advising senior colleagues on strategic communications and related issues · Engaging in business promotion campaigns · Typically, the following skills would be necessary for a communications role: · Ability to work equally well both on your own and within a team · Ability to write, speak and brief others clearly · Ability to assess and select appropriate communications routes for different messages and audiences · Ability to remain calm under pressure · Ability to recognize sensitive situations and act appropriately · Negotiating and influencing skills · Ability to work well with others at all levels both within and outside your company · Ability to gain the trust and respect of senior colleagues · Ability to provide creative input to projects · Ability to think strategically Above all, corporate communicator represents the corporation's voice, its reputation, integrity and the images it projects of itself on a global and regional stage populated by its various audiences and stakeholders. What do aspirants need for it? There are no defined qualifications for entering this field. Those with the gift of the gab and the ability to write have an edge. Soft skills like networking, inquisitiveness and time consciousness are also important. Graduates in English literature and mass communication with some hands-on experience are preferred at the entry level, so are MBAs. A degree or diploma in mass communication helps for a career in corporate communication. However, many professionals agree that more than the degree, it is your personal skills that matter the most. "It helps to have a degree in communication, but it is not essential. What matters is being able to understand issues related to your organisation, an understanding of current affairs, and an eye for any development that could affect the organisation. A degree or diploma in communication, no doubt, helps get an entry into the field. Also, language skills and the ability to see opportunities are important qualities. Ideally before getting into this field one should have a relevant degree in communication. A formal degree in journalism & mass communication can help you get an easier access into this sector. Communication education gives you an understanding and helps to grasp things faster.? Armed with degrees job seekers can directly consider entering the sector. In today?s a job market students can easily start a rewarding career in this field. A degree would not give you the strategic thinking and the ability to make and maintain contacts that matter a lot in corporate communication. You also need an ability to understand the business, ability to network within and outside the organisation and the ability to make people believe you as well as believe in you. It is only after that your audiences trust you. Future prospect in the field There is enormous scope for corporate communication in India. Industries are expanding and need to recognise the importance of having to communicate with the public that matters to the most. With the kind of development we are witnessing in India and abroad, corporate communication is here to stay. Prospects in the field are plentiful for more than one reason. Firstly, competition has grown. The need to maintain the brand has grown considerably, with regard to Indian as well as global consumers, as more foreign companies are coming to India than never before. Secondly, the need to communicate has exploded. Even the target audiences have expanded radically. We have come to use more and developed tools of communication to reach out to them. Finally, the external scenario has become extremely dynamic. More variables affect the image of the company now than before. Also, the number of tools of communication has increased significantly. Television and internet have changed the communication scenario. What would reach the public in 24 hours in case of newspapers or 12-14 days in case of magazines earlier, now reaches them in a matter of seconds. The tasks formerly being taken care of with a couple of press releases are now being handled by entire departments. The size of the corporate communication department is dependent upon the size of the company. Large organisations have a full fledged department that works on their communication objectives. While small companies may have just one individual managing the entire show. In such a scenario, fresh talent is always welcome. A fresher can earn anything between three to five lakhs per annum. And from there, the sky is the limit.

The pay package

The pay scales in the sector vary based on the organisation and experience on part of the candidate. A candidate with a relevant degree and good communication skills can also get remuneration in the range of Rs 3.5 lakhs per annum. Once you have relevant experience of 4-5 years in the field, the annual remuneration can easily go up to Rs 5-6 lakhs. While talented people can make their way up to the level of vice-president in a company, at the entry level, corporate communicators usually draw salary of Rs 15,000-20,000.

The demand from organisations is only going to increase given the growth we are witnessing. If you feel that communication is your strength and have an ability to understand businesses then this is the career for you. After all, like finance and marketing professionals, a corporate communication professional too is not restricted to a specific industry.

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The author is course coordinator of Journalism & Mass Communication at IGNOU, Puri (Orissa). Contact at: snpattnaik@yahoo.com

Author:
Dr. Satyanarayana Pattnaik

Career Opportunities in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Fields

by

Fuzail Ahmad

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. Corporates 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 .

Universities offering degree in Social work/Rural Development

The premier institutes offering degrees/diplomas in Social work and Rural Development is as follows:

Ø Master of Social Work (MSW)/MA Social Work

· Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Trombay Road, Deonar, Mumbai - 400 088

· Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra - 136 119

· Lucknow University, Lucknow

· Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore 452001

· Vikram University,Ujjain 456010

· Kashi Vidyapith, Varanasi 221002

· University of Lucknow, Badshah Bagh, Lucknow 226007

· Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Aligarh 202002

· Agra University, Agra 282004 .

· University of Delhi, Delhi 110007

· Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025

· Punjabi University,Patiala 147002

· Benaras Hindu University (BHU) Varansi UP

· Rajasthan Vidyapeth, Udaipur 313001

· Gujarat Vidyapeth,Ahmedabad 380014

· Shivaji University, Vidyanagar, Kolhapur 416004

· Nagpur University, MG Marg, Nagpur 440001

· MS University of Baroda,Vadodhara 390002

· Amravati University, Near Tapowan, Amravati 446002

· University of Bombay, MG Road, Fort, Mumbai 400032

· Nagpur University, MG Marg, Nagpur 440001

· University of Poona,Ganeshkhind, Pune 411007

· Marathwada University, Aurangabad 431004

· Andhra University, Waltair 530003

· Nagarjuna University, Nagarjuna Nagar 522510

· Sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupati 517502 B.A.

· Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Tirupati 517502

· Karnatak University, Pavate Nagar, Dharwad 580003

· Mangalore University, Univ Campus, Mangalagangothri 574199

· Bharathidasan Palkalai Perun, Tiruchirapalli 620024

· University of Madras,Chennai 600005

· Bharathiar University, Maruthamalai Road, Coimbatore 641046

· Osmania University,Hyderabad 500007

· Sri Padmavathi Mahila, Vishavidyalayam, Tirupathi 517502

· Bangalore University, Jnana Bharathi, Bangalore 560056

· Madurai Kamaraj University, Palkalai Nagar, Madurai 625021

· University of Kerala, University PO, Thiruvananthapuram 695034

· Visva Bharati, PO Santiniketan 731235

· Utkal University,P.O. Vani Vihar, Bhubaneshwar

· Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi.

Ø Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Development (PGDRD)/MBA (Rural Development)

· National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD) Hydrabad

· Institute of Rural Management- Anand-388001.

· Xavier Institute of Social Service Purulia road, Ranchi.

· Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar-751013.

· Institute of Rural Management, IIRM Campus, Mansarovar, Jaipur,

· Gandhi Gram Rural Institute, Gandhi Gram, Dindigul.

· Xidas, 4th mile # 8, mandla road, village tihari, p.o. goraiyaghat, via rfrc, jabalpur-482001.

· Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi.(distance mode)

(NOTE: Above List is indicative only)

Most of the institutes now admit candidates through entrance examination for their Master of Social Work/MSW or Post Grad

Author:
Fuzail Ahmad

CAREER IN PRINT MEDIA

By Dr. Pradeep Nair

If you dream of making a qualitative change in the people's life, bringing into light the dark side of the society, have the patience to get along with politicians, bureaucrats, criminals and a myriad of persons desperate to get some ready to rush to work at odd hours, do night shifts; Journalism is one of the best careers to pursue.

Journalism as such is more than a career, it's a mission. A mission that generates your creativity helps you socialize, earn name along with your livelihood, bring to the forefront problems facing the society and help implement the possible solutions. These inherent advantages of journalism attract a lot of young graduates.

Scope and Areas of Work in Print Media

Print Media is the oldest form of media. But even today it is growing from strength to strength. Around 4000 small, medium and large newspapers and magazines across the county are registered with the Registrar of Newspapers every year. This indicates that it is a growing sector where employment opportunities are increasing with each passing day.

Most of the young aspirants who want to enter the print media prefer reporting, but newspapers and magazines also seek young talent as photographers, artists, editors, computer experts, librarians, and cartoonists. Students who have writing ability, graphics or photo skills, curiosity and determination and who are well prepared by education and training have less difficulty in finding a good opening in the print media. The well known areas to work are:

Editing ? Editing means to plan the contents of the publication and to supervise its preparation. Newspapers have Editors who should have sound knowledge of newspaper laws. They need to put forward innovative ideas and establish the style of the publication. Editors must be able to coordinate the efforts of a team. They must possess a sound knowledge of their market, and take the initiative in looking for new authors and new subjects. In very large newspapers, there are associate or assistant editors who are responsible for particular topics, such as sports, international news, local news, supplements, special pullouts, etc. Administrative duties of editors include hiring writers, planning budgets and negotiating contracts with freelance writers.

Newspapers also have a large number of sub-editors whose job is to give a final shape to the story submitted by a reporter. Sub-editors acts almost like a gate keeper ? editing, reformatting, objectively presenting each report, keeping in mind the general policy of the newspaper. They must be able to identify potential doubts, complications and mistakes in the text, inconsistencies or lack of adherence to the style of newspaper.

Reporting ? Reporting in Newspapers and Magazines means to file stories about local, state, national and international events; to present different view points on current issues and to monitor the actions of public officials and others who exercise power. Newspapers frequently station reporters known as correspondents in large cities and in other countries to prepare stories on major news events occurring in these locations.

Freelancing ? One can also work as a freelance journalist for newspapers and magazines. Freelancers are not the regular employees of the organization. They are paid according to each piece or article they write.

Writing Columns ? A newspaper appoints specialists for regular columns. Columnists, being assigned a column, have to keep contributing to the column on a regular basis.

Writing Comments ? Well known people, who are authorities in their respective fields, are invited to write on topical issues in magazines or newspapers.

Drawing Cartoons ? A comical or satirical sketch on political, cultural events is the job of a cartoonist. While established cartoonists work for some big groups, others are generally free lancers.

Working as an Artist - Illustrators and cartographers who specialize in maps and charts to illustrate data work in this medium.

Photojournalism ? Photojournalism is an art to tell a story with pictures. People having an interest in photography with an ability to link it with a news story can work for newspapers and magazines as a photojournalist.

Nature of the Job

A journalist can work in various capacities in print media. The print has several sub categories like newspaper, magazines and news agencies, and also internet based news portals like Tehelka.com, Indiatimes.com, Rediff.com, etc.

In a newspaper house, fresh journalism graduates usually join as trainees at the news desk or the editing desk. After a couple of years, they get transferred to reporting. However, exceptions to this rule are common and some people join straightaway as trainee reporter also.

The hierarchy for reporters in most of the newspaper houses is roughly as follows - trainee, staff reporter correspondent, principal reporter/ senior reporter/ correspondent, chief reporter and special representative/ correspondent.

Working for a news agency is slightly different because of the tougher deadlines - not at the end of the day but right now. The ABC of news agency reporting seeks accuracy, brevity and clarity. The format of writing is very straight forward and to the point and does not allow any scope for speculation or analysis within the news story. Agencies like Press Trust of India (PTI) and United News of India (UNI) are 24 hours open and their offices are not closed even on Republic or Independence Day or on big festivals, which are holidays for the newspapers.

Reporting for magazines involves less leg work than newspapers. But it requires closer co-operation with the sources of news. Here, the distinction between reporting, editing and desk work many a time gets blurred and the reporter does all the work.

Where to Study and the Eligibility

To pursue a career in the print media one may attain a bachelor's degree or a post-graduate degree or diploma in journalism or mass communication. Courses in journalism are offered in English, Hindi and regional languages. Specialized courses in selected fields like page composition, layout designing and photo journalism are also offered. Apart from the professional degrees, other skills required are a good command over the language, good general knowledge and the ability to collect information and report events quickly.

Now a day?s most of the Indian universities offer both under-graduate and post-graduate programs in journalism. Graduates of any stream are eligible to opt for a post-graduate degree or diploma program in journalism.

Some of the well known institutes offering journalism courses are Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi, AJK ? Mass Communication Research Centre (MCRC) of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan units at Mumbai, Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram, Manipal Institute of Communication, Manipal, Times of India School of Journalism, Mumbai, Pioneer Media School, New Delhi, The Manorama School of Communication, Kottayam, St. Xavier?s Institute of Communication, Mumbai, Simbiosis International University, Pune etc.

Beside this, there are certain traits which a budding journalism graduate needs to know while opting journalism as a career. A good journalist should have ? a keen interest in people related issues, an inquisitive nature, ability to meet deadlines and outstanding communication skills. Basically if you are not interested in what people have to say, their emotions and their achievements, you simply cannot function as a journalist.

Remuneration

The minimum salary as per government directive has to be Rs. 5500 to Rs. 9000 for reporters and senior reporters, Rs. 5000 to Rs. 10,500 for the chief reporters and sub-editors, and Rs. 7500 to 12000 for editors. Private sector even offers higher remuneration including lucrative various fringe benefits. However salaries offered depend on the publication house one is working with. Field journalists are given travel and stay expenses as well as allowances are additional with all pay packets. Freelancers are paid for each piece of work they submit. Self-employed also have good earning depending upon the nature and extension of their business.

Further, the bigger publishing houses pay far higher salaries than the prescribed grades of the Government of India. Entry level salaries range between Rs. 8000 to 12000, experienced Journalists get from Rs. 20000 to 25000 and Senior Journalists earn over a Lac per month. Editors of several publications draw salaries in Lacs as they are given globally competitive salaries.

Excelling your Skills

Journalism is one of the most important vocations. Journalists not only report news but are also responsible for searching out for new stories that might impact the larger society. Journalists are also responsible for shaping opinions and perceptions about key issues that are prevailing in a society. From the local to the national level, journalists play a key role in shaping public opinions and perceptions. Journalists therefore perform a special function and one that no other vocation does.

Journalism as a vocation has also been one of the fields that have seen a radical change over the years. Both print and the visual medium have grown exponentially over the years and there is always a demand for skilled professionals. Increasing competitiveness has also led journalism becoming a very high stress job where deadlines must be met at all cost.

There is also an intense competition for more readers and viewers in both the print and the visual media. Both print and media journalists have to battle the daily stresses of work and life in order to produce relevant results. The job is stressful and may involve very high workloads in order to meet tight deadlines. It is not a profession for the weak willed or the timeservers. The vocation requires passion and complete dedication from an individual if he wants to excel.

Good writing skills itself is not enough to excel in journalism. In addition to it, one requires an attention to details, because it is in these details that a story finds both clarity and meaning. Journalism also requires boundless energy and the relentlessness to pursue a good lead.

Journalism can be an ideal career for those who love to read books and write. The vocation offers them an opportunity to extend their natural talents and utilize them to the best of their abilities. There are also various streams within journalism that a journalist can specialize in. These specializations include sports, investigative, science and film journalism.

For people who are looking forward to a journalism career, there are so many things that they can do to move an inch higher to their dream. For young people who were already to determine in themselves that a journalism career is really the profession that they would want to pursue, they can start gaining all they need to be qualified for the job.

Young ones should be arming themselves with the necessary skills in becoming a journalist such as writing. To do this, they should practice writing articles more often and monitor their improvement. To be more knowledgeable about the craft, they should also enroll in various writing workshops where the resource person are the ones who have been in the industry long enough to share their first-hand experiences. Aside from meeting famous writers and journalists, attending writing workshops can also help you improve your craft and will introduce you more into the technicalities of writing such as styles, structures and the like.

To widen your vocabulary, it is also a must that you read the newspaper regularly. Aside from current events and news, reading feature articles in magazines and even novels can help you be familiar with certain writing styles that can help you in creating your own in the future.

When you get to college, it is best to take up a journalism degree giving importance to the practical assignments. Generally in a good institute, you will be trained in all aspects of the field. Aside from training your writing skills, the school will open you up to other possibilities of the field such as the business side and other fields that may help you decide which field you are really suited to. Here, you will also have the opportunity to meet the "masters" in the field and you will also be able to use the school publication as the training ground for your future journalism career.

Getting the First Career Break

Graduates can go in for an internship with a newspaper for supervised training. The latest trend in this regard is that big groups of newspapers advertise the posts of trainees in any of the above categories. After conducting the entrance examination, suitable graduate trainees, with a flair for writing, are selected and employed.

Almost all newspapers hire journalism graduates fresh out of college, though most of the larger papers (and many of the medium-sized ones) ask for prior experience. Therefore, the smaller the newspaper, the better your chances of landing that first job. It is advantageous to apply to newspapers that you know something about, newspapers where you have had an internship, and papers that are located in areas that are familiar to you.

Print Media organizations where aspirants can find jobs are:

• Newspaper groups
• News agencies and news bureaus like the Press Trust of India, Reuters, United News of India and Associated Press
• Magazines and journals in English and vernacular languages
• Indian Information Service (Group A) of the government, Directorates of publicity
• In-house publications of large corporate houses
• Websites

It is best to create your own opportunity by learning how to market one's self, coming up with a strong portfolio, and to know when the best time to break into the field is. Here two things are quite important. The first one is to sell one's self. This is a very important aspect because employers and editors would not believe you if you just say that you are good. During an interview for a position, try to mention some of your good qualities that can be assets to the publication such as resourcefulness, creativity, and productivity. The second one is the willingness to start small. If you are a fresh journalism graduate, don't expect that you will get the position you want right away. Since the journalism field is competitive, it is best if you will have mindset of starting small. Those who are enjoying their journalism career nowadays are the ones who underwent through the ladder of success.

About the Author

Dr. Pradeep Nair is presently working as a Research Scientist and Course Coordinator of PG Program in Development Communication with Anwar Jamal Kidwai Mass Communication Research Centre (MCRC) of Jamia Millia Islamia (A Central University), Jamia Nagar, New Delhi. E-mail Id: pradeep.mcrc@jmi.ac.in

Author:
By Dr. Pradeep Nair

Sr. Lecturer

Department of Computer Applications

Chitkara Institute of Engineering and Technology

Rajpura, Punjab

E-mail: kumargaurav.in@gmail.com

Knowledge Process Outsourcing or KPO industry has emerged as one of the highly paid and rewarding career options from last few years. It has excellent earning potential for the candidates with technical and analytical skills in different areas of expertise including engineering, medicine, pharmacy, legal, architecture, finance, economics or journalism.

Knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) is referred as a form of outsourcing whereby the knowledge related work is performed in an organization or by a division of the same organization, which may be in the same country or in an offshore location to save the cost. In contrast to the outsourcing of production or manufacturing, KPO has specific focus on knowledge expertise and high-value knowledge based work. In contrast to BPOs, the KPO professionals are not kept busy in receiving and replying to the customers? phone calls only.

KPO industry involves high-value tasks carried out by organization. KPO industry is always in need of candidates with proficiency in advanced information search, analytical, interpretation and technical skills alongwith the professional and decision-making aptitude. It is one of the growing fields and generating lots of job opportunities for candidates having proficiency in their domain. KPO is not restricted to a particular stream rather it prefers employees from diverse academic backgrounds. It helps in getting different perspectives for delivering quality work to the clients in global market. In last 5 years, there has been a strong requirement of engineers, CAs, doctors, MBAs, lawyers, research analysts, scientific researchers and Ph.Ds. India has lots of intellectuals to fulfill the growing need of KPO industry in all the fields. In-depth domain knowledge with conceptual understanding is the key to success and growth in a KPO establishment. One can make full use of his/her educational qualifications and can earn a handsome salary package while working in a KPO. Good performers and intelligent candidates have tremendous opportunities in KPO organizations in terms of growth, salary package, managerial responsibilities, positions and designation.

KPO is a quick-money sector and provides long-term jobs as well. Well-educated, intelligent, knowledgeable, analytical and deserving candidates can make handsome money in this sector, far more than that is being paid in the BPO sector.

India is a country rich in educated and talented people, competent in handling knowledge-based work and research with efficiency. India is famous in the world for its hardworking and intelligent people. With this talented pool, India has appeared as a global KPO hub with specialized knowledge workers in respective verticals. In a statement, former US President George W Bush also warned the American school children that if they will not gain the skills needed to compete with their counterparts from India and China, new jobs would go to those countries. He was addressing a magnet school in Maryland.

Now it is the fairy tale and moreover misconception that Indian companies are having ?Software Labor or Software Coolies?, but Indian stuff is now preferred in almost every stream. India has a pool of sharp knowledge workers in different sectors ranging from Pharmacy, Medicine, Law, Biotechnology, Education & Training, Engineering, Analytics, Design & Animation, Research & Development, Legal, Paralegal Content and even Intelligence services.

This talented generation is now given attention by leading business giants across the globe which results in the outsourcing of high-end processes to low-wage destinations.

KPO organizations, in addition to providing expertise in the processes themselves, often make many low level business decisions - typically those that are easily undone if they conflict with higher-level business plans.

KPO industry is more concerned on value chain rather than a traditional BPO company that provides basic backend or customer care support. Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) is concerned with the highly skilled outsourcing services including document writing, global filing, prior art searches, legal advise on infringements, invalidation search, freedom of use search, executing standardized processes and requires advanced analytical and technical skills.

The KPO services that are outsourced to India are

* Research & Development
* Business and Technical Analysis
* Learning Solutions
* Animation & Design
* Business & Market Research
* Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
* Medical Services
* Writing & Content Development
* Legal Services
* Intellectual Property (IP) Research
* Data Analytics
* Network Management
* Training & Consultancy

India has hardworking and proficient knowledge workers to meet this emerging sector's challenges and bringing foreign currency in India.

KPO VERSUS BPO

The demarcation line between KPO and BPO is very thin. Generally, KPO and BPO are closely related to each other. BPO industry handles the problems in a pre-defined and pre-processed way. Business process outsourcing (BPO) is a broad term which refers to outsourcing in all fields. A BPO differentiates itself by either putting in new technology or applying existing technology in a new way to improve a process.

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is the delegation of one or more IT-intensive business processes to an external provider that in turn owns, administers and manages the selected process based on defined and measurable performance criteria. Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is one of the fastest growing segments of the Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) industry.

Mainly transaction processing is the area of concern in BPOs. The transaction processing in BPO may include

· Customer Support Services

· Technical Support Services

· Telemarketing Services

· Employee IT Help-desk Services

· Insurance Processing

· Data Entry Services / Data Processing Services

· Data Conversion Services

· Scanning, OCR with Editing & Indexing Services

· Book Keeping and Accounting Services

· Form Processing Services:

· Internet / Online / Web Research

· Provident Fund and Gratuity related services

However, there are so many benefits associated with BPO industry, still money is not only the concern that matters to a person?s life. There are many reasons because of which a BPO professional change his/her job. In BPO industry, initial salary is, no doubt, is very good but it stops at a certain level.

Here are some common problems or reasons due to which candidates leave the BPOs after some time -

* Limited Growth in terms of Salary
* Scope of promotions not satisfactory
* Rude behavior of callers/customer while attending the phone calls
* Urge for shifting to programming/development for high salary and growth
* Salary hike stops at certain level
* Willingness for Higher education and to shift in managerial designation
* Disturbance in personal life
* Physical strain and stressful work culture
* Odd Shift Timings and restless life

SERVICES PROVIDED BY KPO COMPANIES (AREA OF WORK)

KPO helps in transfer of domain specific expertise of higher level rather than process expertise. The high-end services, which Indian KPO sector provide, are:
Intellectual Property Investigation

· Prior Art Search

· Patent Writing

· Patent Drawing

· Invention disclosure drafting

· IP Overlap Analysis

· Patent Claims Mapping

· Patent Proofreading

· Claim Analysis

· Patent File History
Legal Research Services

· Legal Research

· Legal document review

· Litigation Support

· Legal Coding

· Legal Proofreading

· Scoping

· Legal Document Management

· Legal Publishing
Data Research & Data Analysis Services

· Online Research / Secondary Research

· Strategic Market research

· Equity Research

· Fixed Income Research

· Quantitative Analytics

· Business Research and Analytics

· Financial Analytics

Market Research

· Data Processing and Analysis

· Web Survey Analysis

· Marketing Questionnaire Design

· Media Research

· Online Research

· Multivariate & Bivariate Analysis

· Quantitative Market Research Services

· Business Market Research

· International Market Research

· Market Research Surveys

Financial Market Research

· Applied Investment Research

· Financial Analysis

· Financial Accounting

· Business Research

· Investments Research

· Credit Research

· Equity Research

· Financial Analysis and Financial Statements

· Tax Preparation

· Financial Data Entry & Conversion

· Competitive Business Analysis

· Syndicated Research

· Trend and Competitor Analysis

· Company Profiling
Database Development Services

· Data Enhancement

· Database Hosting

· Clinical Data Management

· Database Publishing

· Reporting and Business Dashboards

· Data Mining
Medical Writing Services

· Medical Writing

· Medical Editing

· Medical Content Enrichment

· Attribute Extraction

· Medical content classification
Content Development Services

· Technical Writing

· Web Content writing

· Fiction Writing

· Proofreading Services

· Editing Services
Animation And Simulation Technology

· Forensic Animation

· Simulation

· 2D and 3D Animation
· Virtual Reality Systems