Author: UnitedHR

Lives of Happy Candidates: Mr. Rashmi Ranjan Swain

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Success is not just about glitz and glamour. Success is also about being level-headed and calm. It is talking about your success with a keen sense of awareness about your environment.

The thing with the perception of many Asian and African countries is it lies in two extremes. Sometimes, only the negative stereotypical things are highlighted, and sometimes, like many travel shows, a very exotic, but nevertheless stereotypical side gets portrayed. It is important that a balanced, real experience gets reported.

Mr. Rashmi Ranjan Swain, who works at African Industries Limited in Nigeria has some wise and happy words to say about the place.

“First and foremost I would like to highlight the kind of phobia we had before arriving at Nigeria. In reality, I can say it’s all our imagination and perception.

“There is no need to fear for anything life threatening here. Of course it’s always advisable to go along with your friends or colleagues. I can say the way foreigners live their lives in India, we can expect to live in a similar way. The city is quite good and developed, with advanced infrastructure.

“You will find people from various nations. There are people mostly from China, India, Philippines, UK. I can say night life also very amazing. ”
He shared a picture of a temple in Nigeria with us. Indeed, it is a multicultural place.

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He goes on to talk about his experience at a professional level.

“It’s a very renowned company in Nigeria with diversified business in different sectors. Some of the employees have served here for more than ten to twenty years.”

A long tenure is a great indicator of reliability, and success of the company. And it is a great testimonial to the success of our candidate himself for working in such a company. He further talks about the experience.

“The management is concerned about the employees as well and the payments are made on time. The facilities provided here are according to the commitments they make at the time of selection. ”

With this straightforward testimonial, Mr. Swain gives a very realistic and balanced view about his overall experience in Nigeria. We give kudos to him for taking the leap of faith.

The photos he sent us are great visual testimonials to the balance, diversity of the place, and Mr. Rashmi Ranjan Swain’s success and happiness.

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The Haunting No Recruiter Likes

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Imagine someone agreed to come visit your house. You prepare delicious food for them, change your routine for the day, tell your family members about them, and even they tweak their routines a bit. The guest does not show up. You try to call them up, leave messages but there is no reply of any sort. You get worried, anxious, frustrated and somewhat angry at the same time. This, in a nutshell, is ‘ghosting’ in a domestic terminology.

 Now imagine something like this happening in a professional setting. Whether a recruiter believes in ghosts or not, chances are he or she would definitely encounter the phenomenon of ghosting. A ‘ghost’ is any candidate who commits and then disappears often cutting off all contact abruptly.

 Ghosting could occur at any stage. A candidate may agree to show up for interview but when the day of the interview comes, there is no sign.

 A candidate may show up for the interview, ace it, cheerfully agree to all the conditions, and then doesn’t show up on the day of joining the company. Some candidates even clear the formalities and paperwork. Even health check-ups are cleared wherever there’s a requirement. And still there are chances that the candidate just won’t show up at the job. There have been instances when flight tickets were booked by candidates but even those weren’t used!

 Recruiters all over the world would have stories to tell when they received calls from various companies just ‘ghosted’ by the candidates the recruiters had roped in. Or when they got worried about a candidate’s health and safety.

Companies often have to resort to guesswork when ‘ghosting’ takes place. Calls, messages go unreturned. Sometimes even contact numbers are changed, or phones are switched off. Emails go unanswered. Instead of formally quitting, the candidate just stops showing up at the job.

Trends:

Trends are changing in job applying processes. At one point in time, people often used to covet a particular job. At other times, there was also a trend to scan the ‘Classified’ sections of newspapers and apply for a couple of jobs which interested the candidate. Chances are, not all of them would lead to interview call-ups.

Moreover, at one point, companies used to ‘ghost’ candidates after interviews. Only those who progressed to the next round were communicated about the later processes. But now, things have reversed.

Many people apply at multiple places just for the sake of applying. Each new offer is seen as a potential step up, a better opportunity. The scanning process never stops, it seems.

Ghosting is a phenomenon which most of us engage in various aspects of our lives. Things have to be “understood.” People in general would like to avoid confrontations, awkwardness and conflict, and saying ‘no’ or formally quitting could very well lead to all of that. But what makes ghosting at a professional level a hot button topic is the signing of a contract, which entails a commitment. Ghosting after committing is the issue. When a candidate leaves without a formal notice the recruitment process has to then be started all over again, with the company and the recruiters bearing all the costs.

 ‘No’ Problem:

It’s not wrong to apply at multiple places. Multiple job offers are not a bad thing. And it’s only logical that candidates cannot accept all the job offers they get.

(Emergencies and crises come unannounced, and those are exceptions to the case. )

 How to go about with the need to reply in the negative is a huge task for some, especially those who are more on the socially awkward side.

And chances are, candidates have to put up their best behaviour in all circumstances. How to say ‘no’ then, without appearing rude or unprofessional is the question. And someone has to be told ‘No.’

That precisely is the problem: candidates don’t even say no.

An absence of response has come to be equated with saying ‘No.’ An absence of response has come to be considered a response in itself.

 What is the answer here then? How to go about as not to ‘ghost’ recruiters?

 As basic as it can get: communicate.  Whatever is the scenario, say so. If you are probably going to say no, make it clear. If you need to drop out for some reason midway through the process, talk about it, no matter how awkward the conversation might be.

A moment of awkwardness on an interpersonal level can often save hours of anxiety and frustration on an official level.

Blood Donation Camp at UHR

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Do you wish to contribute to the society in any little way you can?

Have you been thinking of donating blood? Has the concept scared you?

Blood donation is something that is considered a noble activity.

But the word ‘blood’ itself scares a lot of people, forget progressing to ‘donation.’

We are organising a Blood-donation camp at United HR. And we would encourage you, and your Team Members, friends and family to come along and donate! Blood-donation is a rare opportunity to contribute to someone else’s well-being. It’s time we put aside the myths and look at the advantages of donating blood.

Moderation of Iron-level in Blood is one of the most important advantages of blood donation. We have been told since school days that vitamins, minerals, proteins, iron, etc., are necessary for a healthy body. But did you know having too much iron in one’s blood could actually increase chances of heart-disease? And too much iron also increases free radical damage in the body, which has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. Blood donation, by moderating iron levels gives rise to a whole new set of advantages like:

  • Reduce the chances of a heart-attack by 88%.
  • Lower the risk of severe cardiovascular events like stroke by 33%.
  • Lowers the risk of cancers of liver, lung, colon, stomach and throat. Studies supporting could be found in Journal of National Cancer Institute as well as corroborated by Miller-Keystone Blood Centre.

Blood donation also gives you a chance for:

  • Free Blood Analysis– A blood donor receives a free prior health screening plus mini blood test. The HB level is tested, as well as blood pressure and body check is done. The donor is also screened for syphilis, HIV, hepatitis, and other diseases; and is immediately informed in strict confidentiality if any of these tests show positive results.

One might think blood donation might “take away” something from one’s body. The donor’s body immediately begins to replenish the lost red-blood cells within 48 hours of blood donation. The donation thus:

  • Stimulates the production of new Red-Blood Cells.
  • Helps to burn calories. It helps burn about 650 calories for every pint, i.e 450 ml of blood given.

 Dizziness, nausea, light-headedness, fainting are some extremely short-lived side-effects which some individuals do face. But those are very normal and not everyone faces these. To ensure that the process is safe, blood donation should be done in a professional, hygienic environment where proper medical attention is given. It should be done under the supervision of experts. We at United HR have ensured that all these requirements will be met with in our blood donation camp. Details:

Date: 17th August 2018,

Venue: At the Swastik Society Hall,

Swastik Char-Rasta,

Off C G Road, Near Domino’s/AroDrape, Navarangpura,

Ahmedabad-380009

Timings: 9:30 am to 1:00 pm.

Success Story: Shifting Times, Mottoes To Live By

Life could be like a rollercoaster ride. It is full of ascents and descents,with a great deal of unpredictability. Careers could be like a car-ride. They change lanes. We shift gears. Breaks and stops may come abruptly, only for the engine to reignite with a greater fervour. We drive our careers in the direction we feel is the best for us. That “drive” is an important requirement to move onward and upwards in life.

Our former employee Mrs. Hetal Tripathi’s  journey is a remarkable one in many respects. Not only is her drive, but her dedication also is commendable.

“God helps those who help themselves” is a phrase which could be applied to Mrs. Tripathi’s trajectory. Her eagerness to learn new things, improve at what she already knew and the amount of hard work she put in to hone her various skills is something that propelled her to success.

“It is a different industry, but accurate process is very important”, she tells us about her work ethic. She is currently the Assistant Manager in training at Tim Hortons, in Canada. The shift from recruitment to hospitality couldn’t have been easy, that too after working in the former sector for around seven years.

She was asked at her interview what did she consider as the best quality of a leader. “Unity…we  care  together, we  grow  together”  was her answer. She got 95% for that answer. Mottoes can give so much meaning to one’s life if one wants to.

The manager at that company once asked her, “You are a person who  never skips process…how?” She said, “I learned that from my earlier organisation.” She imbibed the value we at United HR Solutions encourage. Experience is, after all, important. Good work ethics are contagious.

She recently became Employee of the Month.

Countries change, jobs change, employers change. What you learned, how you learned, from whom you learned, all of that stays.

We are proud to say Mrs. Hetal Tripathi worked with us at one point, and that our organisation (and our motto) could contribute to her future. She says  “I want my other United friends understand the value of our organisation. Proud to be a part of United.”

We are proud to be part of your journey too.

Here are some photos she shared with us.

The Badge of Success
The Badge of Success
Hetal Tripathi, Assistant Manager in Training
Hetal Tripathi, Assistant Manager in Training

 

Degrees Of Knowledge

 

That is the question.
That is the question.

 

There was a time when a degree was the most important thing in the world. The image was common: a newly graduated student, dressed up in freshly-ironed formals, sitting in a line of similar-looking youngsters outside the cabin of the boss, as the receptionist called them out, telling them it was their turn for the interview. Hundreds of Hindi movies must have these kind of scenes.

However, voices in the present environment point to something else. Increasingly, the narrative that is most widely heard is that a degree is not important anymore. Your skills matter. Your knowledge matters. Your experience matters.

One website goes on to take a look at the mindsets of people in India, and how much importance they give to a degree. Accordingly, in the 1980s, “Bachelor’s degree felt like a God-like paper.” Cue the interview scenes mentioned in the opening of this article. Then came the 90s, and apparently, “the Bachelor’s degree lost its charm and you needed a Master’s degree to be recognised.” The 2000s saw the importance of degree sharing its space with “experience and pay-scale.” 2016 onwards, in the current scenario, “college degrees are barely considered when it comes to job and career opportunities.”

This is true in a way. All of us have heard about famous people who dropped out of prestigious institutions, and went on to become extremely successful. In fact, these people and their lives are often used as testimonials to the narrative: you don’t need a degree to be successful.
Forget about these famous examples, many of us know people, within our close circles who have made their lives well, and they don’t happen to possess a degree.

There is another scenario that is getting increasingly common: people who do jobs which are completely different from the subject they hold their degrees in. Engineers becoming film-makers, businessmen and -women, writers is not a shocking story. Or perhaps not pursuing a Master’s in the subject you did your Bachelor’s in is no big deal. So many people around us have done it.

All this leads us to a question which might actually be called a FAQ- a frequently asked question- is a degree important now?
And the answer, contrary to the popular narrative is not a simple YES or NO. In fact, the dreaded two words could be considered an answer: it depends.

Let us think about it.
Why are we starting to believe there will always be a disconnection between one’s degree and one’s skills and knowledge?
Can a person who has a Commerce degree suddenly get a job as an Architect?
Even if the person has a deep interest in the subject, and has studied a lot about Architecture in his free time, would he be able to match the level of an A-grade student of Architecture who has put in time and efforts in the degree? Many colleges and universities have made internships mandatory or at least they are encouraged so that one doesn’t fall behind in the experience aspect.

A person with a BSc in Microbiology might be very well-read and interested in Theoretical Physics. But does that mean she can simply become a Professor of Theoretical Physics based just on her interest as opposed to a person who possesses multiple degrees on the subject?

A graduate in English might be able to teach basic level Computers in primary schools. Should he teach at a college level, is the question.

The debate about the importance of a degree should not be reduced to simplistic answers.

Some ‘shifts’ or choices of professions are relatively easy. This might come across as a little unfair but it is something to think about. Avenues of writing, marketing, the fine arts, entrepreneurship require innate skills, or at the very least some sort of training. But you could train for them on your own. There are online and offline courses offered, books available. And you just need a portfolio in some cases to prove that you are indeed good at it, even though you might not hold an official degree in the subject.
Sometimes, the candidates are provided training by the company they will be working at.

There are countless scenarios in accordance to the profession one decides to go for.

One thing clear from all of this is that you need skills and education. Degree or no degree is a complex issue. Famous college dropouts like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, the late Steve Jobs did have a very deep understanding of what they excelled at. They were “educated” in a way a degree could not do it. How many of us have that vision and courage? More importantly, how many of us have that drive and self-motivation or the resources to be educated, with or without the pressure of a degree?

It is important to have a plan if you do decide to not go for a degree-based education. Skills and knowledge are important. The question is in what way the degree or the absence of it would or would not contribute.