Archive for the Careers Category
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 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 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 4, 2010 by Tahlent Team
With the ill-effects of the recession fading away, employers are creating new job opportunities and looking for talent to fill positions. While finding new recruits should not be difficult, employers must focus on finding the right people for the job. More importantly, they must put in place strategies to ensure that they can retain their new recruits.
Here are few tips:
Hire right talent
Start on the right foot. Rather than make the mistake of hiring the wrong candidate to meet a target, focus on hiring the the right people. If you outsource your hiring requirements to an external agency, be clear and uncompromising about job descriptions and eligibility criteria. It’s better to delay hiring than hire the wrong person for the job.
Strong team player
While interviewing candidates for the job, look beyond the CV. Study attitude in addition to aptitude. Do background checks with the aim of finding out if the person you are looking to hire is a good fit with your work culture and ethos. Carefully consider if he or she will get along with the current team. During recruitment interviews, ask probing questions to learn more about his or her outlook and orientation with regard to teamwork and collaboration.
Communicate policies clearly
The recession has made employees more and more suspicious of company policies. More often than not, they will make plans to leave you sooner if they suspect that you are not being clear in communicating your policies. Ensure that official communication reaches all employees through an official channel. If necessary, have these policies reiterated to them through a special point of contact.
Work-life balance is critical
Employees have realized that a healthy work-life balance is their right. If your company does not already take measures to encourage this, it’s time to review your policies. Provide that your work environment and policies are accommodating of the needs of your employees’ family time and needs. At the same time, ensure that employees are made accountable for the time they spend away from the office by putting in place efficient time management and reporting measures.
Give recognition and share positive feedback
Happy employees are more productive. Put in place measures to encourage and reward performance at various levels. Commend exceptional performance widely across the organization. Groom leadership by inviting top-performing employees to contribute to important, high-visibility initiatives.
Tags: advice, Career advice, communication, Employee retention, employee satisfaction, feedback, happy employees, official communication, recession, recognition, retention strategies, rewards, Talent, tips
Posted on December 23, 2009 by Tahlent Team
What have you been doing lately?
a) Worrying and praying
b) Gossiping about your ex-boss
c) Networking
If you nodded yes to ‘c’ you’re in good company.
Today job seekers are not the only ones who go online to look for jobs. Most employers have savvied up to the online game and directed their recruiters to scour social and professional networks to spot the best and the brightest.
This, clearly, is good news for those people who “while away time” on the Web. These compulsive networkers who cannot stay away from Facebook, SlideShare, Twitter, Scribd, Youtube or blogs for even a minute are ahead of the rest of the pack in the search for their next job.
But really, is effective networking really about spending all your life online? Perhaps not, but the quality of the time you spend does matter.
Social networks have their relative strengths and weaknesses and your success is determined by how smartly you use their features, and ultimately about how you project yourself.
Here are a few tips to get the most out of social networks:
- Separate personal and work accounts by creating unique identities to be used with each set of audiences.
- Tweak your privacy settings to ensure that your work colleagues don’t see what is meant for your friends.
- Divide your team between job sites and building your social media presence.
- Seek out relevant groups or networks and join them.
- Listen to relevant conversations on your groups or communities and participate in them.
- Seek and showcase recommendations from your superiors and colleagues.
- Create an online portfolio of your work. Make digital copies and upload them to SlideShare (presentations), Flickr (images, artwork and photographs), Scribd (works of text for which you own the copyright), YouTube or Vimeo (videos).
- Tahlent’s unique interface allows you to compile a professional profile by mashing up audio, video and presentation formats and integrating feeds from your Flickr images, SlideShare presentations, Youtube videos and blogs.
- As an extra precaution, make sure that you don’t upload any potentially objectionable content even in your non-work identities.
Soon enough, your presence will be felt.
Tags: Careers, employability, employers, facebook, flickr, job sites, networking, recession, resume, slideshare, social media, Tahlent, talent showcase
Posted on December 17, 2009 by Tahlent Team
With faster lifestyles, global workforces and 24/7 schedules, the impact of workplace stress is becoming severe on working professionals across the world.
Today, stress may be caused due to a variety of factors, not just the pressure to perform under severe deadlines. The cause of stress may result from your interaction with superiors and co-workers, personal problems such as troubled marriages or bereavement that spill into your office life, performance and teamwork issues, low self-esteem, fear of job loss, and health issues.
A little stress is actually useful because it fires away the body’s self-defense mechanisms – alertness, high adrenalin levels, etc. However, prolonged stress can do a lot of damage. For people in demanding professions such as travel, sales, hospitality and medicine, as well as self-employed professionals, stress can extract a high toll. To beat stress before it gets you down, you must recognize the early warning signs.
Things may be far worse if you hate your job. Deadlines, bosses and co-workers all become sources of stress.
Here’s how to deal with stress:
- Slow down, take a deep breath and take a good long look at yourself. First, try to identify the root cause of why you are stressed. Is it something that happened at work or at home? Is it something you are not talking about? Is it something that makes you afraid or insecure about your job? Do you feel threatened by a co-worker or a superior? Are you in the right job? Be honest with yourself and try to pin down the problem.
- Understand the boundaries of work and personal life. When you come back home, take your mind off work. Remember, it’s good to be passionate about work, but take care not to over-commit or set unrealistic deadlines. Be realistic of what you can achieve and work towards your goals.
- Take a break every few hours, go for a walk or stand upright at your desk and relax your body.
- Be realistic about the fact that certain things are beyond your control. Tell yourself that it is important to be calm and in control of your emotions and reactions, not external situations. Think before reacting.
- Overcome escapism and avoidance. Rather than avoid a situation, brace yourself to tackle it. For instance, “presentation stress” is a common cause for concern because many of us are nervous about speaking before large audience. While some are gifted at it, most are not. To overcome this mental block, rehearse your presentation before a mirror. Get help from your co-workers or friends and do a dry run. Get feedback, incorporate it and improve your presentation.
- Exercise. Stress is aggravated by a sedentary lifestyle. Exercise not only helps you burn away calories but also works off the tension and induces sound sleep. Yoga and aerobics are great to beat stress. If you feel you don’t have the time to learn anything new, just take a walk.
- Be open about your stress and speak to your manager about it. While doing so, maintain your dignity and make it clear that you are requesting his or her understanding, not a favor or a reprieve.
- Many employers offer counseling services and helplines, which you must use if your self-help efforts do not seem to work.
- If you continue to be stressed, speak to your friends or consult a doctor or a counselor.
- If all the above measures do not deliver satisfactory results, consider changing your job and take up a less demanding role.
Tags: healthy workplace, job stress, managing stress, positive attitude, reducing stress, Workplace stress
Posted on November 29, 2009 by Tahlent Team
Have you often looked at designs or illustrations in magazines or on websites and thought you could have done them better? It’s time to explore if you have a yen for graphic design.
Graphic design is actually a very broad discipline and includes typography, illustration, product design and web design among others. There is a demand for graphic designers in all streams of business – from advertising, web development, publishing, product design and retail to information technology.
Fundamentally, a graphic artist or designer has one clear-cut task: to communicate visually with clarity, creativity, aesthetics and insight. To become a graphic design, you need to have an aptitude for design, art or drawing. If you were good at art back in school, you have a good reason to test if your creative juices will flow with a little encouragement.
Graphic design is fun and challenging, but it is hard work. To get started, it helps to learn the fundamentals of graphic design from an institute or through self-study. If you want to be formally trained and take up a serious career in design, look up your local university or art school for courses in graphic design. If you want to do a part-time or after-work course, there are several institutes offering short-term or long-term courses that will help you learn the fundamentals within a short time. Many of these courses also let you work on dummy projects or even live projects once you are a little more experienced.
If you do not have the budget to invest in education, turn to the Web. A simple search will lead you to countless free tutorials that teach you everything from basic principles to full-fledged complex techniques for print, audio-visual and online media.
If you have access to a computer, you may want to consider investing in software to aid your learning. Most graphic design is done digitally these days, and software is available to make anything from line drawings and sketches to full-fledged movies and 3-D presentations. Depending on your budget, you may choose to purchase licensed software such as the Adobe suite (including the latest versions of PhotoShop and Illustrator) or simply turn to the Internet to download freeware and shareware.
Make sure you save copies of your work on CD. Even better, once you are ready you can create a profile on Tahlent and showcase your portfolio.
Once you learn the ropes, get on the Internet and seek out discussion forums where you can interact and collaborate with designers of all stripes. Within a short time, with enough dedication and persistence, you will be ready to enter the world of graphic design as a budding professional.
Resources:
1. Graphic Design 101
2. Free tutorials and instructional sites
3. Graphic design principles
4. Licensed graphic design software: PhotoShop and Illustrator from Adobe
5. Open-source design software resources: Free Art Software and SourceForge
6. Excellent open source and free alternatives to Photoshop
7. 10 Principles of effective web design
8. Web 2.0 design style guide
Note: Tahlent does not accept responsibility for the content of the third-party resources mentioned above.
Tags: Career advice, college courses, education, employment, forums, graphic design, graphic designer, online courses, photoshop, resources, Tahlent, Talent Network, tools, web design
Posted on November 27, 2009 by Tahlent Team
Working with creative people is challenging as it is rewarding. While it can be stimulating to be surrounded by talented people and ideas in the midst of a creative environment, learning how to manage creative teams or co-workers is an art. And it needs to be pursued with care and attention.
The term “creative people” immediately brings to mind artists and writers. However, this definition includes musicians, RJs, application architects, architects, graphic designers, advertising professionals, filmmakers, landscape artists, photographers, sound engineers, nutritionists, clothing designers, etc.
Often, creative people are known for being eccentric, working flexibly and not following a set routine. They may sometimes be asocial and withdrawn and at other times flamboyant and articulate. They are often frustrated by regimented working hours and work conditions. However, creative teams may sometimes be a part of a larger corporate outfit and the rules that apply to the rest of the firm apply to them too.
To manage a creative team effectively it is important to understand the way creative people work, and ensure that productivity does not get sacrificed in the process.
Lack of inspiration is often cited as a reason for turning in poor quality work. Remember that while you can do everything to keep your creative team’s energies charged up, it’s just another day at work. You can’t produce creativity on demand by turning on a faucet, so there has to be an established code of work that is fair, stimulating, and result-oriented.
- Communicate briefs clearly and provide context while doing so
- Ensure that your team-members are aligned to a goal
- Drive home the point that your emphasis is on the outcome of the work rather than the hours spent on creating it
- Watch out for burnout and prevent it before it happens. If people are working overtime, ensure that they take necessary time off to recover and recharge their batteries
- Innovation is necessary but deadlines are sacrosanct. Build a framework that allows for timely reviews and interventions prior to submission or presentation of a project
- Foster a culture of openness and collaboration within the team. Do not encourage cliques within a team.
- If two creative people in a team do not get along, drive home the point that the odds shall favor the team player
- Be public with praise and discreet with criticism. While rejecting ideas, be sensitive to the person who generated them. However, take care not to undermine your own authority. Be frank and diplomatic, but also forthright
- Create a culture of mentoring – allow team-members to contribute to each others’ growth and learning
- Within the boundaries of company policy, enable access to learning tools, resources and activities
- Always celebrate accomplishments and dissect failures together and as a team
Tags: advertising professionals, application architects, architects, clothing designers, collaboration, creative people, creative team, creativity, deadlines, filmmakers, graphic designers, Innovation, landscape artists, managing creative teams, mentoring, musicians, nutritionists, openness, photographers, productivity, RJs, sound engineers, Talent, teamwork
