Career Opportunity: Public Health Officer

Health Officer

Career Opportunity: Public Health relates to the protection of the population from diseases and illness and the overall improvement of health and living conditions that affect the health of individuals and the community. Some tools that are invariably used for this purpose are education, promotion of healthy lifestyle habits, and research on disease and its prevention.

The broad spectrum of public health includes environmental health, behavioral science, epidemiology, biostatistics, maternal and child healthcare, nutrition, public health practice, etc. Such are studied for effective prevention of threats to life.

It is to be noted down that this field is only about the prevention of diseases and not their cure, thus public health officers do not treat patients. They take steps to prevent the breakout of the illness. And they work at the community, country, and global level. The diseases that they deal with are of a community nature, like example AIDS, polio, malaria, and other epidemics.

Public health professionals study the effects of the environment, lifestyle, living conditions, genetics, on health. Such an individual can work with a hospital or healthcare institution, public health officials, international healthcare organizations like WHO, or with NGOs. Research and continued study form an integral part of my career as a public health manager. Also, there is a lot of travel involved, within the city and community, as well as to far-off places, just to ensure proper health and preventive measures.

If you aim to be a public health officer, you should ideally take up since at plus two levels. Thereafter, you can go for a bachelor’s degree in science, specifically in biology. With a firm base created, you can then specialize in fields such as public health management, health economics, etc.

Some good institutes to enroll in India are the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Delhi; Indian Institute of Public Health, Gurgaon; Christian Medical College, Vellore; Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram; All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, Kolkata; Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh.

You should be socially responsible and committed. Being able to handle work, and the ability to work in a team helps you in your work. Also, you should be able to communicate effectively as you will have to get across to people belonging to different sections of the society, doctors, researchers, etc.

Healthcare is extremely essential. The concept has recently been born in India and thus needs time to take its form. This budding field f work requires dedicated professionals and institutes to nurture it.

Role Of The School Counsellor

A School Counselor

A school counsellor is a qualified and professionally trained individual holding certification to exercise his skills on the educational front. Holding the responsibility to respond to student academic, personal, social, and career-related issues, a counsellor is an advisor, a creator of structured curriculum, analyzer of the generated response, and introducer of the new and enhanced school curriculum of academic activities. The four-fold process followed by a professional counsellor involves:

Step 1: Building the foundation

One of the most crucial roles of a school counsellor is to recognize the hidden beliefs and personal values specific to students. Based on this analysis, a counselling program is generated so as to properly direct the enhancement, application, and assessment of the student goals and beliefs at personal and academic levels. The counselling program is framed with the school mission clearly sketched out in mind and thus, the realization of social, personal, academic, and career-related goals appears as a target easy to achieve.

Step 2: Delivering values

The role of a school counsellor runs beyond students to teachers, parents, and the overall school community. Delivering values is a big initiative undertaken by this advisory person and involves a number of processes.

Framing of a logical school curriculum: This process is related to the structuring of lectures that are designed to provide competent knowledge and skills to students. A professional counsellor analyzes the existing school curriculum well and also records the level of impact that it has. Based on this analysis, he looks for the loopholes in the process and works to strengthen the weak areas in the process.

Helping students plan their activities: Each of the students has his own mindset towards the achievement of personal and academic goals. The role of a professional counsellor is quite crucial here as he has to gain a clear insight of what the student has in mind and has to make positive suggestions so as to quicken the process of timely achievement of goals.

Proper structuring of response: Sometimes, a student may require a properly structured counselling session to help him achieve the right goals with the right effort. There are a variety of counselling sessions that m required based on the type of problem and the severity of the situation. The one-on-one session, group counselling, joint session with parents and teachers, counselling with peers and other referrals are the most common activities undertaken by a counsellor to solve a potential social, personal or academic issue.

Step 3: Management Undertakings

Professional school counsellors are not just responsible for structuring the curriculum to streamline the various academic undertakings. They are also responsible for laying down a set of concrete processes including:

  • Agreements are prepared on receipt of mutual consent between the counsellor and the board of directors of the institution.
  • Plan of action clearly stating how the strategies have to be implemented in the real-time environment.
  • Analysis of student response to the set down standards so as to determine the effectiveness of a certain plan and introduction of changes based on this response.
  • Allocation of 4/5th of the working time to deal with student queries and issues.
  • Proactive arrangement of counselling activities on a timely basis to assure that students, management, teachers, parents, and other concerned personnel stay in constant touch.

Step 4: Measuring Performances

The design of the school curriculum may differ from institute to institute. Even within one premise, this curriculum may change based on the response generated. Professional counsellors drive changes based on the performance metrics that comprise various important enactment factors.

Supply Chain Management And Its Career Benefits

supply chain management

The continuous growth in logistics makes a good supply chain quite imperative. For almost any kind of trade or service to take place, there is a requirement of movement of merchandise or goods. This requirement shows no signs of ever going down; if anything it is spiking dramatically. The term ‘Supply Chain Management’ stands for the process of physical management of business goods from procurement to storage and transportation. The key lies in the safe handling of the merchandise from end to end. It creates a chain between the producer, supplier, and distributor. It is often described as “Supply chain management is interested in everything that happens to a product from cradle to grave.”
It is a rather upcoming industry in India and has a bright future. The estimates are reaching figures like a hundred billion dollars in the coming three-four years. Companies like Wal-Mart have made it a strategic imperative for the business. This industry is growing at a rapid pace and changes are being introduced at a steady pace to make it more profitable and efficient.

Benefits of this career
An increasing number of companies are creating space within their infrastructure for this department and various posts closely related or directly pertaining to Supply Chain Management which gives you that extra edge on the desirability part.
Supply chains are being initiated and strengthened globally and an increasing number of educational institutes are now offering Bachelor’s and Masters’ Courses in Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
Most companies are steadily reorganizing around supply chain management and the supply chain manager positions are becoming increasingly available.
You can easily target large-scale companies since their logistics and supply chain requirements are huge and steady.
It is relatively easy to rise in this core industry as the competition is not that tough just yet.
Even in times of recession, this one industry cannot afford to slow down, so chances are that you will be able to sail through it all.
Shipping and Aviation are two large sectors that use this expertise and knowledge extensively and both are good paymasters.
All the recent studies and research point to an imminent boom in this particular sector.
Since this is a relatively new area of expertise you can make your mark and prove yourself rather easily and won’t have to fight off hordes of competitors for the same slice of the pie.

Caution
Most firms have established their own Supply Chain Management Programs and tend to recruit from their own pool.
Since the market is low the companies are asking for industry and functional experience even at entry-level jobs in some cases.
Make sure that the certification that you are going for is acceptable in the market
Certifications are not really required but proficiency in Enterprise Resource Planning and software packages like SAP, Oracle, and i2 can really enhance your chances of growth in this sector.
The overall outlook for the future of this industry is pretty robust, all you need to do is go for the right course and company to start your career in Supply Chain Management.

Student Parody – The Best Choices To Pursue After School

Student Parody

Thinking about life after completing school education is quite overwhelming but you need a plan to help you choose a career path. It is quite a difficult task to make decisions about your career after school especially when you are not sure what you want to do. There are many choices including starting a business, starting an apprenticeship, finding work, continuing with further education, or taking a gap year for sorting out dilemmas. Many people continue to study to upgrade their qualifications. You can choose any one of these options to make a rewarding career:
Vocational education and training
Vocational education and training provide opportunities to young people while studying at school. VETs are given through partnerships between industry, school, and instructors and the students get the opportunities to take part in real-time implementations.
School-based apprenticeships
These apprenticeships make it easy for students to unite employment and study while they still devote their time to studies. In this program, students earn wages as they also work along with studying. This means that the students spend some time in the workplace and some at school.
University
A major number of students go to some University from school for getting higher education. While selecting a university and a course, young people should consider the cost of living and the cost of University study. The most important thing that should be considered is to explore the opportunities for work after completing graduation.
Employment
Some young people who do not want to continue their education can go for employment. A paid job brings earnings, freedom, and a chance to do new things but getting the first job is really very difficult. There are chances that you may not succeed initially but do not panic and remain positive. Practice interview techniques.
Employers see employability skills in young people. These skills allow people to do their jobs well. Some of the essential employability skills include communication, self-management, initiative and enterprise, planning and organization, problem-solving, teamwork, technology, and learning.
Schools conduct a large number of career programs that help the students to learn skills needed for searching a job such as writing resumes, applying for jobs, presentation skills, and interview skills. These days, various services are available in the market to assist the students in finding a suitable job.
Starting your own business
Starting your own business is a good option. Although educational qualifications and experience can help you in starting a business they are not essential. A large number of programs are available that help young people to develop innovative skills and build entrepreneur skills. Some of these programs are offered to the students at school and some are available outside of school.
Certified programs
Many private career schools offer certified programs of six-month to one year that provide specialization in a specific field. Some of the careers that require a certified program are pharmacy technician, medical assistant, dental assistant, and computer equipment repair.
Associate degree program
Some colleges offer two-year associate degree programs. Careers that require an associate degree are interior designer, forestry technician, respiratory therapist, office manager, and nurse. A young person having an associate degree can use his/her credits to transfer to a four-year college if he/she wants to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
Volunteer work
Volunteer work is a great way to experience new challenges and to find out the world of work. You can add information about your volunteer work to your resume. This will help you in finding paid employment.

Options To Continue Studying After PhD

study after phd

The study is one such thing that has no end. Despite the fact that we all think that getting a Masters degree or a PHD is good enough and is the end of studies, this does not hold true all the time. Gaining knowledge is a never-ending process. What is the proper way of gaining good knowledge? It is not just the basic schooling and colleges. In fact, it is about gaining knowledge to the maximum.
It is a misconception that PHD is the last step of one’s career. People believe that if anyone has done a PHD, then no further studies are required but that is not correct to some extent because there are some different courses that can be pursued even after this degree. Here are some good career options after a PhD:
Further research studies
Further research can be undertaken after the completion of a PhD. It is true that PhD is the highest level of research work but there is also one year advanced research program in specific areas where candidates can dig even deeper into a certain subject and come out with something really valuable. This course is the best choice for candidates who feel like they can find something distinctive in their field of excellence if they have more time to devote to their research.
Postdoctoral Program
This is quite a common and a popular program after PHD because earning a Doctorate degree is a big thing. Some exclusive features of this program are as mentioned below:
A postdoctoral program is quite an effective career option after a PhD because it is the one thing that is likely to make your research more lucid. It is a step ahead of my PhD. After completion of the program, one will feel more independent in taking up a project as he or she will be able to take the whole responsibility of the project.
The responsibilities are increased and even the workload increases at this level but your position will also upgrade and a number of students will work under you. Managerial skills are developed because managing a whole team and the entire project requires a lot of skills. This also involves handling of quite a prestigious work i.e. representing the University’s research or various research papers at the National and International committees.
Professional Training
Another option for studying after PHD is to opt for some professional training that can give you a chance to go for some other career option like any postgraduate degree in any subject or the subject that is related to your PhD as it will increase your knowledge. This option is however suitable when a change in the career stream is desired.
One can also take a degree in Law because knowledge of Law will make you aware of your rights and can be helpful in taking various part-time job opportunities. It is the only field that does not require a specific subject in school and is also a good career option. Accounts or finance are other options that can be taken up at this stage as these are essential requirements for a good business. If you are a master of finances along with strong knowledge and practical experience in your domain, you can also start your own business.
Other options
You can also go for some vocational training in social work or can join an NGO or any social work organization along with their work. This is an amazing option because you will learn new things daily and can also continue with your PhD career option. This is will give an opportunity to learn about the people of various cultures and how social problems can be tackled.

Best Career Options after 12th in Creative Field

Best Career Option after 12th

Cinematographer

Cinematographer is the person who is responsible for managing the Camera effect and Light impact on a motion picture photography such as TV Show, Music Videos, Film and commercials. He is the Director of photography. He is also responsible to take all artistic and technical decisions related to his motion picture.

For applying for this the mandatory subjects are Maths and Physics. Following are some colleges in which you can study Cinematography:

Accessory Designer

As the name suggests accessory designer is responsible for conceptualising, developing and creating design of the product which are used as an accessory.

These products may be Jewellery, Leather accessories – Handbags, Hats, belt, gloves, shoes, scarves; Watches, Hair accessories or other lifestyle items.

You must have a stream to do this course. But the only thing required is your creative mind.

Following are some colleges in which you can study Accessory Designer:

Animation

When two or more images are arranged and manipulated in such a way that it shows like a moving object this is called animation and the creator of such images are called Animators.

This is specially used to make cartoons and pictures which are used in multimedia productions and their purpose is to entertain, educate people. Animators use computers to create images, give them colour and use special effects to make a film. They generally specialise in animation for gaming, film-making, education etc.

You must have a stream to do this course. But the only thing required is your creative mind.

Following are some colleges in which you can study Animation:

Ceramic Artist

Ceramic artists are those who use clay and ceramic material to make art ware, tile, figurines, sculpture and tableware. Ceramic art is visual art.

You must have a stream to do this course. But the only thing required is your creative mind.

Following are some colleges in which you can study Ceramic Art:

 

Related Links:

The Career Options After Class 10th – Is Class 12th must to Build a Career?
Career Options in Defence Services After the 12th Class?
Best Career Option After 12th in Scientific Field
Career Prospects for Biology 12th Pass Students

Question you should ask at Interview

If you thought that interviews were easy then it is time you took a reality check. Interviews are never easy. You will be judged not only on the basis of the skills you will bring to the job, but also on your capability to get along with other team members. If you are aloof and distant, employers will think twice before hiring you. However, if you are bright, sharp and love interacting with people you will automatically rise up in your future employers esteem.

Since first impressions are so important, you should make the right moves at the job interview. Read up and ask intelligent questions. Don’t expect the interviewer to give you information about company finances, but at least it will show that you are interested. Unfortunately, interviewees take this piece of advice too seriously and commit hara-kiri by asking the wrong questions. Here is a small primer on what to ask at a job interview.

1. Nature of the job: If you are not sure about the terms and conditions of the job, ask. However, don’t commit the crime of asking irrelevant questions. This will only convey that you are not taking the interview seriously. Interviewers hate that.

2. Know more about the company: It is important to know about the company before accepting a job. This will ensure that transition from one job to another is smooth and incident free. Many of us leave one company for another, only to realize later that we have made a big mistake. This can be avoided at the interview stage itself by asking intelligent questions like the nature of the job, employer expectations, working hours and so on.

3. Know about your predecessors: Yes, this can save you from a potentially tricky situation. Ask why the earlier employee quit. If he was asked to leave, ask why. Filling in a position can be a potential landmine if you are not careful.

4. Know where you stand in the hiring process: It is important to know where you stand compared to other interviewees. This will help you when it comes to bargaining in later rounds.

5. Financial health of the company: Before you commit to a position in a new company, it would be better if you knew what you are committing to. It makes no sense to get a job only to know later that the company is in dire straits. The interviewer is not going to discuss company financials openly, but you can still glean a lot of information by getting information on future plans.    

Asking the right questions at the job interview is more than half the battle won. You can do a lot of damage by asking the wrong questions. Think twice before you speak goes the old adage and there is a lot of merit to it when it comes to handling interviews.

Tips to Succeed at Interview

Worried about facing the interview panel? Relax! You are not the only one. It is normal to have butterflies in your stomach before facing the interview panel. The secret is to make this anxiety work for you. A little bit of anxiety before the big day will help you concentrate better on pre interview preparations. The good news is that your potential employer short listed you because they found you worthy of the position.  Acing interviews is not rocket science. It is all about the preparation and confidence that you bring to the table.

To face an interview you will have to be at your very best. Do not take chances. Prepare well. It is important to start preparing a few days before the big day. This will help you relax as the interview date approaches. Here is what you should be doing to succeed at interviews –

Before the date of interview

Read up: Get all the information you can get about the company. You should know its core business, objective and who owns it. There is no need to pore over financial statements, unless you are applying for a financial position, merely a cursory look will suffice.

Brush up your skill: If you are applying for a technical position, little bit of reading is needed. No need to burn the midnight oil, learning new formulas or marketing strategies, as it will only stress you further, just a little brushing up on your skills will do.

Formal Wear: Choose what clothes you will wear at the interview very carefully. First impressions are important. Don’t wear dirty, shabby clothing to an interview. Your clothes should be cleaned, ironed and ready for the interview. A small tip: it is better to wear something that you are used to rather than buying something new to wear at the interview.

At the interview

Showcase your skill: Know that your resume has been shortlisted because of your skills. Your employer will be very interested to know whether you are as skillful as you mention in your resume. Be ready to answer questions related to your skill set and education. Think of instances when you had to depend on your skills to salvage a particularly difficult situation. Mention this at your interview. Remember, your employer will want to hire you for your troubleshooting skills as much as your ability to blend with other employees of the company.

Look sharp: It is important to look sharp and confident at the interview. Look like you are interested in the job. Don’t interrupt the interviewer. Make sure that you understand the questions before answering them.

Be positive: Show a positive demeanor during the interview. Employers are not interested in sad stores. Smile at the end of the interview and shake hands with the panel.

It is easy to ace an interview if you are confident in your abilities. However, never let overconfidence be the ruin of you. Prepare well in advance and get the job.

Procedure to Be the Part of the Indian Intelligence

Procedure to Be the Part of the Indian Intelligence

If you want to be a part of the Indian intelligence community, there are various security and intelligence agencies under the Indian government where you can work as a credible officer for the protection of the country.

These agencies are part of the Indian government or autonomous bodies working for the government. They specialize in different aspects of security that include national security, military operations and crisis management. Such agencies include RAW, IB, DIA and CBI.

Major Indian Intelligence Agencies & Their Recruitment Process:

Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)

Research and Analysis Wing also known as RAW is the country’s premier intelligence agency that involves foreign operations. RAW works directly under the Prime Minister of India. It keeps an eye on the developments of the foreign countries which can pose a threat to the security of the country.

RAW does not hold an open recruitment process for its positions. IAS officers, IPS officers, other intelligence agencies and army officers are deputed into RAW through lateral entry tests.

Intelligence Bureau (IB)

Intelligence Bureau or IB is the Central Intelligence Agency of India. It works under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

Selections to the intelligence bureau as an inspector are made through competitive exams of IB- ACIO (Assistant Central Intelligence Officer) conducted by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

However, selection for senior positions is made through lateral positions of IPS or Army officers.

Examination Pattern of IB- ACIO:

Paper – I –100 Marks (Objective Type Questions)

  • Syllabus: General Awareness, General Knowledge, Reasoning Ability, Comprehension, Mathematical Ability

Paper – II – 50 Marks (Descriptive Type Questions)

  • Syllabus: English writing skills and analytical ability.

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Examination Pattern of IPS Officer:

UPSC conducts Indian Civil Services Examination for various posts including IPS officers. The examination for IPS officers is held in 4 stages:

  1. The preliminary exam consists of 2 objective-type questions of 400 marks.
  2. The main exam consists of traditional descriptive-type questions in any one of the chosen subjects of 1800 marks.
  3. The personality test consists of 275 marks. Only those candidates who pass the main exam are eligible for this test.
  4. Physical and medical standards test.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)

The Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI is the primary face of Indian intelligence. It works under the ambit of the Government of India. The Director of CBI is an IPS officer who has held rank either as the Director General of Police or as the Commissioner of Police (State).

Selection for CBI officers is made through the Combined Graduate Level Examination of Staff Selection Commission which is conducted by the Government of India.The examination takes place in 2 stages:

  1. Written Test – 400 Marks
  2. Personal Interview/ Personality Test – 100 Marks
Pattern of the Written Test:

Paper – I – General Test – 200 Marks

  • General Intelligence and Reasoning – 50 Questions
  • General Awareness – 75 Questions
  • Numerical Ability – 75 Questions
  • Total time: 2 hours

Paper – II – English Language – 200 Marks

  • Language Comprehension
  • Communication/Writing Ability Test
  • Total time: 2 hours

Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)

The Defense Intelligence Agency or DIA is an intelligence agency under the ambit of the Union Ministry of Defense for the three wings of the defense forces, the Army, Navy and Air Force. The DIA collaborates with the IB and RAW to investigate intelligence information.

The recruitment is done through a lateral entry process from the Armed forces where one can join the specialized intelligence wing of DIA.

You can get more information about the vacancies on the respective websites.

Also Read: Top Intelligence Agency in the World – RAW, ISI, CIA, KGB, MOSAAD

How to choose the Right MBA Specialization?

mba specialization

Have you heard of Herd Mentality?

Well, Herd mentality is the basic reason a person suffers from depression of choosing a specialization that does not go in sync with their desires and personality.

You might think why herd mentality is being discussed! The truth is- due to the market full of management people, people are now simply choosing specialization to hear say, whereas they must be choosing specialization after having a deal of thought, research, and assessment of one’s internal desires and external environment.

If you want to succeed after your MBA degree, here are some key points that you must keep in mind while choosing your MBA specialization:

  1. Hard and smart work: Some may argue that choosing one specialization over another requires research and smart approach. However, it is wrong to assume a particular specialization is inferior to another. Every specialization has a target industry or commercial sector. To achieve that target, there is no alternative to hard work and perseverance.
  1. Trend is mostly a fad: India had faced an information technology boom with students opting for computer related general and engineering courses for a shortcut to success. But currently the sector is edging towards a saturated stage with so many people with the same set of specializations. It has to be kept in mind that the whole process is sinusoidal. In management, Marketing or Finance is sought after the most, thanks to emerging retail companies or whopping investment banking salaries. However it is wiser to look at long-term goals instead of just following a trend.
  1. Specific/Generalized: The question lies as to what sort of subject or job is most appealing to a particular individual. If broad spectrum stuff like general management and office administration interests you, it is wiser to go there and not follow the specialized ones. The specialization however narrows down the scope and gives more focused skills.
  1. Course and Curriculum: Information is extremely crucial. At childhood, a lot of students make career decisions based on popular beliefs, parental desires or peer pressure from the society. Management gives a scope to exercise your own will and take a decision that you will most likely not regret.
  1. Career path: Students are moving away from the tried and tested routes towards career development that usually begins with completing basic education and followed by joining a reputed company. Specialization empowers a person to exercise the gained knowledge and skill set to set up their own organizations where they are their own boss. Entrepreneurship has gathered momentum both in marketing and research areas.
  1. Character traits: Every person has a varying personality that determines their dedication and interest towards their work. Someone may prefer to be on the move while others might prefer to be a regular working office employee. Some prefer the income compared to work satisfaction while the same might not stand true for the rest. While a segment prefers leadership skills others gain more satisfaction in teamwork. Assessing one’s strength and weakness is an effective tool to reach a conclusive career decision.
  1. Research: The Internet is on the desk and palm of our hands with technology reaching superior heights. With 24×7 access to information databases, students should go through detailed information about the subjects, existing student profiles, and possible career outlays and growth plans.