Posted on March 8, 2010 by Tahlent Team
Interview with Neeti Sharma, Vice President at TeamLease Services
1. How is the life of a woman in a top managerial role any different from the rest of the fairer sex?
Today’s women are better educated than what they were earlier and hold more jobs worldwide than ever before. Today when a woman takes up a role, she is aware of the expectations the organization has from her. Hence based on her personal commitments, she chooses her career path and the role she can perform in. The time commitment to a role changes at various stages of her life and she may decide to sometimes let go of a larger role if she is not able to give the attention and time required due to personal commitments. From that perspective, whether a woman is in a top managerial role or otherwise, there is not much of a difference. The change occurs for a woman in a top managerial role in the form of time, travel and leadership skills required of her. Most senior positions require periodic travel out of their hometown and country. Woman need to be able to manage their personal & professional lives in such situations and build an ecosystem which will allow her to devote time to both her home and work front. Another differentiating factor for woman in top managerial roles is that she is required to lead teams and in most cases have most male direct reports. She is needed to understand their working styles, guide them to perform better and still give them space to develop themselves. Also, women by nature are more emotional than their male counterparts. She would react differently to a situation and is required to take rational decisions than emotional ones while dealing with business, people and strategies.
2. How does it feel to be a woman in the top brass of an organization? What are the highs and lows of it?
It definitely feels good to be part of the team that decides the organizational strategy, goals and visions. Since today in most organizations, barring the manufacturing sector, there is a healthy mix of male & female workers, it helps to have a similar mix in the top managerial team as well as it provides a balanced perspective for all employees. Most times there is no difference between our male colleagues and us and whether we get brickbats or flowers, they are the given from the same perspective.
3. What do you feel are the key enablers for women in the corporate world in today’s time vis-a-vis a decade ago?
The world has opened to accepting women in senior roles. A decade ago, not many women could aim to get to the senior roles, though there were many working women. Leaders like Indira Gandhi have changed the way the world looks at women in leading roles. Another attributing factor to this change has been the support women get from their spouses and family members. Spouses go the extra mile and help women in top managerial roles so that she can live up to the commitments she has at her workplace. Without a robust support system (and thank god for domestic help), it would have been difficult for women to prove themselves consistently.
4. Are there any major challenges that women leaders still grapple with?
Well, whatever role a woman performs outside her home, she is still a homemaker once she gets back home. She has to take care of home, spouse, kids and everything else. It does become a stretch sometimes, but then only a woman can multitask and manage everything she takes on her plate. Be it providing emotional support to her family, be a friend in need or be a guide to people who depend on her emotionally. She is the pillar of strength at home and also at her workplace. She needs to find a balance between home and work. Another large challenge is that despite all the facilities the organization provides to a woman in top managerial role, she still has to carefully choose where and when she travels – cannot travel very late in the night in most cities in the country, may not be able to go to all places by themselves. Many a times, one is the only woman in a room full of men in a meeting (external meetings) and it does get uncomfortable sometimes.
Tags: leadership, Neeti Sharma, TeamLease, women, women leaders
Posted on March 8, 2010 by Tahlent Team
At the beginning of the millennium, there were only three women among the heads of large US public companies. In 2009, there were 12 women among Fortune 500 CEOs, wielding 2.4% of top leadership positions in the world’s top companies. While this is something to cheer about, the sobering fact is that there are only 29 women leaders (1.5%) among the world’s 2000 top performing companies.
Despite the best of efforts that women are making to secure top leadership posts, the world of business is still largely considered a man’s turf and women making it big here are often considered a rarity of sorts. As a Harvard Business Review study reported, in most cases women leaders are appointed from outside the company and often fare poorly in the internal race for the CEO’s post.
However, the good news is that all of these women at the top represent a significant change that has been sweeping boardrooms during this decade.
Of the 29 women CEOs of the world’s top 2000 companies, 19 were appointed after 2002. Most of them were given the job when the company was performing badly and needed an extra boost. For instance, under Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo grew by 12% in 2009 while Avon, under CEO Andrea Jung, grew by 34%.
These numbers are also likely to change significantly in the decades to come, with more and more women enrolling for management education. For instance, women comprise 36% of the Harvard Business School class of 2011. In India, too, the results are encouraging. The Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, ranked 12th in the world in the Financial Times Business School Rankings, had 26% of women among its students in 2009. Among its faculty, 16% were women.
There is also a significant uptick in the number of women entrepreneurs in the country. The Economic Times reports that IIM Bangalore’s Management Program for Women Entrepreneurs (MPWE) admitted only 60 women in 2007. By 2009, the course had 130 women in two batches. In 2010 there are over 200 applications for the course, which begins in April.
Things are also looking up for rural women. Established in 2006, the Maan Deshi Udyogini Business School for rural women, founded by economist and farmer Chetna Gala Sinha, counts among its students shepherds, tea vendors and fruit merchants. Located about 430 km from Mumbai, the school specifically addresses school dropouts and women without formal education.
Businessweek reported a few years ago that companies with the highest representations of women in leadership roles show better financial performance. However, while many top companies have women in key management roles, in the boardroom they are still no more than a token presence.
India has nearly four times the number of women CEOs as the US. A recent survey by EMA Partners International revealed that around 11% of Indian publicly held companies have women CEOs. However, it must also be considered that many of these leaders are from the families of the promoters. The true test of success will be when women are allowed to break the glass ceiling and rise up from the ranks into the boardroom.
Tags: boardroom, CEO, Fortune 500, gender equality, Indra Nooyi, management, Pepsico, women, women CEOs, women entrepreneurs, women leaders
Posted on February 18, 2010 by Tahlent Team
Last year, when the economic crisis triggered a recruitment freeze across the board, graduates from IITs and B-schools flocked to public sector organizations. Government jobs have always had the reputation of being the most secure of all occupations despite being low-paying. However, with the sixth pay commission recommendations being put in place, jobs in the public sector have started paying better and now offer the added advantage of job security.
There are several job opportunities available with the governments of India. These include central and state administrative departments, public sector companies, nationalized banks, power and utilities corporations, the armed forces, various administrative bodies, police forces, foreign services, customs and excise departments, the environment and forests department, department of civil aviation, shipping, transport and railways, postal services, etc.
But it is not just administrative jobs that the government offers. Fields like information technology, aerospace engineering, agricultural and bio-sciences research and medicine also offer a host of career options in government departments.
In keeping with constitutional directives, government jobs offer reservations for candidates from backward communities, scheduled castes and tribes, and other backward classes.
Prior to the 1990s when the liberalization of the Indian economy brought in foreign investment and entrepreneurship and led to the creation of more jobs, employment opportunities offered by India’s public sector were coveted because they offered high wage structures, good benefits (healthcare, housing, leave, etc.) and guaranteed job security. However, those involved in the selection processes are often accused of bureaucracy and nepotism. Training, effective human resource management practices, productivity and professionalism are unheard of in some public sector offices. Promotions are time-bound and not necessarily performance-related.
As the process of getting a government job was so entangled in red tape, most competent graduates never considered the option. Additionally, trade union activities in public sector companies often disrupt work and result in the loss of several man-days of work every year.
Despite these shortcomings, government jobs attract many takers. To qualify for a government job at entry level, a candidate must establish his/ her eligibility by passing an entrance examination, followed by interviews.
The Union Public Service Commission, which conducts entrance examinations every year to induct candidates into the civil services – primarily the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Police Service and the Indian Foreign Service, is the most sought-after for graduates and postgraduates. Similar academies exist at the state level. Further, there are entrance examinations for jobs with one of India’s largest public sector employers — the Indian Railways — apart from jobs with the armed forces, public sector banks, postal services, customs and excise departments, forest services, etc.
There are a number of institutes that offer courses tailored for public sector jobs. For instance, those aspiring to a career in banking may apply for admission to the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance, which offers many courses. The Insurance Institute of India and the Indian Institute of Financial Planning also offer specialized courses in other areas of the financial services industry.
Astrophysics and space research offers exciting career options, the premier institutes being the Indian Space Research Organization. For those aspiring to a career in civil aviation, specifically flying, the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi in Fursat Ganj, Raebareli is India’s leading training school. For aspiring fighter pilots, the Indian Air Force offers high-paying, exciting careers. Defense careers in the Indian Army and the Indian Navy are also highly sought after. Medical professionals are also in great demand in the armed forces and the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune is the premier institute for them.
For those aspiring to a career in the government information and media departments, the best institute is the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. The National Law School of India University in Bangalore is among the best institutes for legal education.
For medical education and jobs in India’s public sector medical and healthcare departments, the best courses are offered by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Post-Medical Education and Research in Puducherry and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences in Bangalore. The Pharmacy Council of India also offers courses for those looking for career avenues in pharmacy.
More information on current openings in government departments, entrance examination calendars and eligibility criteria for various public sector jobs is available at the website of the Employment News Weekly.
Tags: administrative bodies, aerospace engineering, agricultural sciences, armed forces, banking, bio-sciences research, civil aviation, customs and excise, eligibility, employment, entrance examination, entrance test, environment and forests, finance, foreign services, healthcare, housing, IAS, IFS, Indian Administrative Service, Indian Air Force, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service, Indian Railways, information technology, insurance, interview, IPS, leave, medicine, nationalized banks, police forces, postal services, power, public sector companies, railways, shipping, state administrative departments, transport, Union Public Service Commission, UPSC, utilities corporations
Posted on February 12, 2010 by Tahlent Team
With James Cameron’s film Avatar breaking box-office records the world over, the 3D animation industry has received a big boost. While 3D animation has been around for two decades, the success of films like Finding Nemo and the Shrek series are proof that the best is only yet to come.
According to NASSCOM, India’s gaming industry (specifically, computer games and mobile games) is expected to generate $424 million by the end of 2010. Not surprisingly, many graphic artists and digital technology buffs alike are turning to 3D animation as a career option.
However, does 3D animation offer avenues for just about anyone? How can one carve a rewarding and exciting career in this field?
To answer these questions, it is important to get a good idea of what 3D animation is all about. Simply put, 3D animation involves creating three-dimensional images for the purpose of entertainment, information or interactive experiences.
While it may sound glamorous, learning and perfecting animation techniques takes hours of hard work, dedication and perseverance. To start off, you must have good artistic skills, excellent visual communication skills and competent general knowledge.
Although 3D rendering tools are extremely advanced today, animation is much more than a mechanical skill. It is an art that relies heavily on the imagination. But then again, artistic skills are not sufficient. To be a competitive 3D animator, you must have a good eye for detail, structure and movement. Some 3D artists are specialists in creating environments and textures, while others are lighting experts.
Within the field of 3D animation, there are a variety of specialized roles and functions. On a 3D film project, for instance, you may work as a modeler, layout artist, clean-up artist, scanner operator, digital ink and paint artist, compositor, key-frame animator or a background artist. However, besides its most obvious applications in the business of movies and television, animation offers employment opportunities in advertising, education, electronic publishing and web design, gaming, architecture and interior design, as well as defense (virtual reality).
In India, a number of animation schools offer diplomas and bachelor’s degrees in animation to candidates who have secured a minimum of 45% marks in Class XII. Some noteworthy institutes are Animaster, Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics, Arena Multimedia and Zee Institute of Creative Arts.
Premier institutes like Industrial Design Center (IDC), the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and National Institute of Design (NID) offer postgraduate programs in animation, but these have strict eligibility criteria and admit only graduates of architecture, technology and engineering and fine arts.
With the economy just out of recession, the animation industry is opening up with new jobs. If you think you’re cut out for a career in 3D animation, make up your mind and choose the best course now.
Tags: 3-D animation, 3D artist, 3D movies, 3D rendering, 3D software, advertising, animation courses, animation resources, animation software, animation tutorials, architecture, background artist, Careers, clean-up artist, compositor, defense, designing career, digital ink and paint artist, education, electronic publishing, employment, entertainment, films, gaming, graphic design, interior design, Jobs, key-frame animator, layout artist, media, modeler, scanner operator, skills, Talent, video game design, virtual reality, visual communication, web design
Posted on February 6, 2010 by Tahlent Team
Location: Mumbai
Vacancy/ Position: Corporate and Institutional Banking – Team Leader & Relationship Manager
Experience: 5 – 12 years
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Location: Bangalore
Vacancy/ Position: Project Manager, leading interactive marketing company
Experience: 4 – 6 years
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Location: Kolkata
Vacancy/ Position: Area Manager – Sales Operations, digital entertainment company
Experience: 4-6 years
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Location: Delhi
Vacancy/ Position: Graphic Designer / Visualizer
Experience: 3 – 8 years
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Location: Kolkata
Vacancy/ Position: Store Manager (Luxury Menswear and Accessories)
Experience: 3 – 10 years
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Location: Hyderabad
Vacancy/ Position: Flex Associate Developer, global technology outsourcer
Experience: 2 – 4 years
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Location: Pune
Vacancy/ Position: Project Manager, Construction and Real Estate
Experience: 4 – 9 years
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IMPORTANT NOTE: These listings are compiled from third-party sources. Tahlent does not accept responsibility for the validity, reliability or accuracy of the openings posted, or of the employers named here. Job-seekers are advised to be cautious and verify the information thoroughly before applying.
Tags: Bangalore, Hyderabad, job openings, Jobs, kolkata, Mumbai, positions, Pune, vacancies
Posted on February 4, 2010 by Tahlent Team
Finally, there’s good news for job-seekers with employers unlocking their doors. However, it pays to remember that this time round, companies are going to be very selective about the candidates they take in and will not recruit merely to bloat their hiring figures.
Last month, we discussed the steps employers must take to retain talent. This month, we train our lens on the employee.
What measures can you put into effect to help your growth and also your company?
Insight into your manager’s work ethics and expectations
You don’t always have a say when it comes to choosing your manager, so the next best thing to do is to make sure you fit in to the manager’s work ethic and expectations. Note that this does not suggest that you become a ‘yes man’ or ‘yes woman’.
If the interview offers an opportunity to know more about your reporting manager, read the signs. It is important that you understand and assimilate the power structure in your department even before you accept your offer letter. Do your research, tap into the grapevine and understand your prospective manager’s record and career highlights. What are his or her strengths and weaknesses? How have they impacted his or her career? Whom does he/she get along with and take into confidence? Understand the relationships he/she has with his/her superiors.
As an oft-repeated mantra in corporate circles goes: ‘Employees do not leave their companies; they leave their managers’.
Unscramble your offer letter
Offer letters are among the trickiest documents to understand if your grasp of accounting is not strong. Numbers indicated in your salary breakup may be astronomical but what really matters are your take-home figures, tax breaks and benefits. Consult a chartered account or taxation specialist to confirm that what you see is indeed what you get.
Where do you grow from here?
Before you jump at any offer, take a step back and consider your growth path. Ask questions about the department that you are thinking of joining, your boss and colleagues, and the importance given to that department by the company (e.g. the department’s share of the company’s annual budget allocation will give you a good idea of this). If possible, speak to company insiders to verify all that you have heard. Be very wary of a job that does not offer avenues for growth or a clearly defined career path.
Are you dispensable?
Be alert and keep your ear to the ground. Ensure that the work you do brings value to the team you are working in. Be a good team person and hone your interpersonal skills. Fine-tune your abilities and skills and understand the strengths and weaknesses of your team-mates.
Get noticed and counted in
Not every one is a born star but with time you can establish yourself as the person to turn to for a particular skill. For example, if you are a whiz with spreadsheets and statistics your colleagues will start depending on you to deliver the goods in the crunch time. Become a strong team player and make your potential for leadership well known and acknowledged by your colleagues.
While making an effort to be counted in, stay away from being part of an office clique. Cliques are not viewed favorably in any company that promotes an inclusive work culture. Be professional and never confuse acceptance in a clique with genuine networking.
Upgrade your skills
You may have been hired as a web designer but if you have a latent interest in sound recording or video editing, hone those skills by taking courses, through self-learning or by watching others at work. However, be selective of the skill you choose to upgrade by considering how it will aid your growth and enhance your employability.
Don’t forget your basics
People tend to get lost focusing on doing “high-value” work and this proves costly when they have to switch jobs. If you have worked in a company for eight or ten years, it can be easy to lose touch with the fundamental skills that got you started there. Refresh your knowledge base and revisit your basics from time to time.
Update your résumé continuously
Take care not to slack off in your new job. Once a month, reopen your résumé and update your online profile, job description, responsibilities and projects. This helps you stay in touch with your own career plans. Do not close the door to new employment opportunities.
Tags: advice, boss, Career advice, Career networking, career path, CV, Employee retention, growth, manager, offer letter, office cliques, resume, skills upgrade, tips, work ethic
Posted on January 28, 2010 by Tahlent Team
Location: Mumbai
Vacancy: Business Analyst (Mechanical)
Experience: 7 years
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Location: Hyderabad
Vacancy: Managers – Environmental/Process Engineering
Experience: 15-20 years
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Location: Bangalore
Vacancy: Marketing Communication Executive
Experience: 2-6 years
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Location: Delhi/NCR
Vacancy: Online Marketing Manager / Internet Marketing Manager
Experience: 11-16 years
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Location: Kolkata
Vacancy: Quality Assurance Executive
Experience: 2-4 years
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Location: Gurgaon/ Delhi
Vacancy: Professional Sales Closer, BPO operations
Experience: 1-10 years
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Location: Chennai
Vacancy: Customer Support Advisor
Experience: 0-1 years
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Location: Pune
Vacancy: Online Content Writer
Experience: 0-2 years
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IMPORTANT NOTE: These listings are compiled from third-party sources. Tahlent does not accept responsibility for the validity, reliability or accuracy of the openings posted, or of the employers named here. Job-seekers are advised to be cautious and verify the information thoroughly before applying.
Tags: Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, India, india jobs, job openings, Jobs, kolkata, Mumbai, NCR, positions, Pune, Secunderabad, Talent, talent search, vacancies
Posted on January 22, 2010 by Tahlent Team
Investment banking has suffered some tarnish at the end of the last decade, when the fall of some big players triggered the market collapse of 2008 and the ensuing economic crisis. There are now much tighter controls over investment banking firms and its employees are under closer surveillance. However, as a career option, investment banking continues to be lucrative.
What is investment banking all about?
An investment banker’s job involves raising equity and debt capital for companies. Investment banks provide a slew of finance-related services to companies, which include underwriting and raising capital by issuing equity or debt securities and facilitating mergers and acquisitions. In all of these transactions, an investment bank acts as an intermediary between investors and the issuer. Investment bankers may also help a company restructure its equity or debt to emerge from a financial crisis.
Who can be an investment banker?
Investment banking demands much more than a regular 9-to-5 job. It is a career for the clever and the stout-hearted, for it brings the burden of extreme stress and pressure. Additionally, investment bankers carry great responsibility because their advice is key to the success of their customers and the future of their finances. On the flip side, it is extremely lucrative to graduates who have the physical and mental stamina to withstand such pressure. By making an early start in this career, you stand to gain. Investment banking is open to all graduates but students qualified in accounting and finance are best-equipped to get ahead in this line of work. But it takes more than good grades. You must be tenacious, hard-working, quick at comprehending trends and must possess excellent interpersonal skills. Investment banks seek applicants with high academic achievement, involvement in campus leadership positions, stellar communication skills and internships at well-regarded companies and nonprofit organizations. Many successful investment bankers are completely self-taught and owe their success to a keen pursuit of their chosen trade. They watch markets and stocks closely, remain clued in to the performance of companies by performing competitive analysis, and scan the corporate world for high performing scrips. Once they help their customers taste success, investment bankers can hope to grow in reputation and personal wealth.
What are the jobs available in investment banking?
There are a number of job options available within the domain of investment banking. You may start off in Industry Coverage, tracking a specific industry vertical. Later, you may turn your interest in Corporate Finance into a strong career path, helping companies raise capital. You may also cut a career stream in Debt Capital Markets or Equity Capital Markets, where you help companies originate new issues of debt or equity. You may choose to specialize in Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), an important source of fee income for banks, and make solid careers with employers like Goldman Sachs, Lazard and Morgan Stanley. Project Finance is another stream within investment banking that offers a lucrative career and helps bring money into new markets and new countries. Sales and Trading offer some of the most desirable jobs in investment banking, and involve undertaking transactions in equities, bonds, forex, options or futures with traders at commercial banks, investment banks as well as institutional investors. Structured Finance, another job stream, involves the creation of financing vehicles to redirect cash flows to investors. The Derivatives business, which involves options, swaps and futures, is highly lucrative and advertises some of the hottest job vacancies on Wall Street. Many investment banks offer Advisory Services, and jobs in this line of work involve determining a client’s value and options for creating value. Equity and Fixed Income Research involves visiting companies and making heavy telephone contact with institutional investors in order to buy or sell recommendations to investors about a stock or bond. Other job areas within investment banking include International Sales, Public Finance, Stockbroking, Retail Brokerage, Institutional Sales, Ratings Analysis and IT & Systems.
If you are energetic with excellent communication skills (especially interaction skills like negotiation and persuasion) and strong valuation skills, you could forge a lucrative and satisfying career in investment banking.
Tags: Advisory Services, Corporate Finance, Debt Capital Markets, Derivatives, Equity and Fixed Income Research, Equity Capital Markets, Industry Coverage, Institutional Sales, International Sales, investment banking, IT & Systems, Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), Project Finance, Public Finance, Ratings Analysis, Retail Brokerage, Sales and Trading, Stockbroking, Structured Finance
Posted on January 21, 2010 by Tahlent Team
Location: Mumbai
Vacancy: Senior Translator, leading Japanese software company
Experience: 4-5 Years
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Location: Kolkata
Vacancy: Key Accounts Manager, Telecom major
Experience: 6-10 years
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Location: Delhi
Vacancy: Production Manager
Experience: 10-14 years
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Location: Hyderabad
Vacancy: Hardware Design Engineer, leading chip manufacturer
Experience: 4-8 years
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Location: Pune
Vacancy: Mainframe Developer, leading Indian software company
Experience: 1-3 years
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Location: Bangalore
Vacancy: Graphic Designer, Advertising company
Experience: 2-5 years
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IMPORTANT NOTE: These listings are compiled from third-party sources. Tahlent does not accept responsibility for the validity, reliability or accuracy of the openings posted, or of the employers named here. Job-seekers are advised to be cautious and verify the information thoroughly before applying.
Tags: Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, India, Jobs, kolkata, Mumbai, Pune
Posted on January 16, 2010 by Tahlent Team
Many people who commute to regular day jobs are very happy with the orderly rhythm of their lives. If you are one of them, this article is not for you. But if you feel straitjacketed in a cubicle job, if your dreams are too big for your workstation, and if you feel that your current job demands only a fraction of your skills and potential, you may be overcome by diminishing ambition and an overwhelming sense of frustration in your current job.
Read on. This article is for you.
Consider this: Maybe it’s time to break free. But remember, your self-imposed freedom is hard-won and takes a lot of back-breaking work before it is worth the effort. A home-based business requires extraordinary discipline in order to survive and eventually to succeed. Think over your decision several times and be absolutely sure that you are doing the right thing by leaving the security of your job for an independent home-based career.
First off, be sure that your skill is conducive for a work-from-home model. Accounting, writing and editing, translation and transcription services, illustration, graphic design, web design, travel agency, teaching music or dance, technology consulting and advisory services are more suitable for those who aspire to work from home. Network assiduously and test-market your offering by doing some research and speaking to contacts who you think will be potential clients.
Next, ensure that you have enough savings to shore you up in the event your business plans fail to realize profits within the required time. It is important to have enough money in the bank to see you through six months without a job. This time window is a bare minimum and may vary depending on your credit position.
Ensure that your home-based office is well set up and provided with everything you need to run a client-friendly business. Choose reliable service providers and ensure that your utility bills are paid. If you intend to employ other people to help you with the business, make sure that your contract clearly sets out terms and conditions such as minimum working hours, leave, medical facilities, and other benefits and privileges.
Register your company and ensure that your paperwork is complete before you begin soliciting business. Set up separate bank accounts — a current account for your business and a savings account for yourself. Make sure your service tax account and company PAN account are set up and other regulatory requirements are met before you begin doing business. It is equally important to define your rate card, set up your website and print your business cards so that you can make an impact as soon as you begin. It makes sense to initiate all of these efforts before quitting your current job.
The one big thing missing from your life once you leave an office environment will be the all-too-familiar water cooler conversations. Make up for their absence by networking actively and building connections consciously. You must set aside a small fund for business lunches and cocktails. As a self-employed professional, you can claim tax rebate on such expenditure.
Go online. If you a freelancer, ensure that your social networks are well set up. If you are a writer, editor, translator or other creative professional, it makes sense to create a profile on web communities offering services to freelancers.
Get noticed. Find out the best ways to advertise and market your business. For instance, if you decide to make a living from teaching dance or music, make sure your posters are on display at the local cafe or restaurant. Make cold calls and request meetings with potential clients if you offer technology consulting services or other advisory services. Publish a classified advertisement in a newspaper or magazine that is widely read and circulated. Ask for customer testimonials and publish them on your website and business collateral.
Focus and find the heart of your business. Initially, you may grab everything on offer in order to pay the bills. However, as your business starts to make money, you may find it prudent and practical to start focusing on core skills or specific kinds of work. Develop a specialty and be really good at it.
Make sure your home-based business doesn’t leave you too busy to enjoy life and spend time at home. Work-life balance is critical. Ensure that you have clearly defined working hours and if you do have to bend these rules occasionally, make sure you compensate by taking the odd day off.
Finally, just to pep you up, here’s a verse from an old poem that you might want to memorize every time you feel overconfident or under confident about your decision.
If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same
- From If by Rudyard Kipling
Tags: Entrepreneurship, freelance, freelance career, home-based business, self-employed professional, self-employment, work from home
