Tips to ace the IBPS Clerk Mains Exam

Given that the time between declaration of results (expected any time soon) and the date of the Mains Exam, it is imperative that students continue their preparation for the Mains Exam. Today, let us look at pattern changes and thereby the strategy you need to employ to ace the Mains Exam.

Curtains have now come down on the first step of the selection process for the 7883 Clerk vacancies notified by IBPS. Over the last couple of weekends, 20 lakh plus applicants have appeared for the Preliminary Examination and close to 2 lakh plus candidates are expected to make the cut to the next round – the Mains Exam, scheduled for 21-Jan, 2018.

Given that the time between declaration of results (expected any time soon) and the date of the Mains Exam, it is imperative that students continue their preparation for the Mains Exam. Today, let us look at pattern changes and thereby the strategy you need to employ to ace the Mains Exam.

Changes in the Test Pattern

Compared to last year, aspirants this year will have fewer questions to attempt (190 vs 200) and more time to attempt the same (160 minutes vs 135 minutes). Check out the table below for number of questions in each section and the time allocated for the same.

Almost all sections in the exam have seen a change either in the number of questions asked or the time allocated. Major changes in the paper pattern include

A. Increased focus on General Awareness – an increase in number of questions (50 vs 40) as well as time allocated (35 vs 25 minutes).

B. Reduced focus on Computer Aptitude – last year saw a separate Computer Aptitude section (40 questions accounting for 20 marks) which is now subsumed into the Reasoning Ability section. Though the number of questions has come down (80 down to 50), the time allocated for the merged section remains almost the same as last year (45 vs 50 minutes)

C. Increase in number of questions (50 vs 40 questions) as well as time allocated (45 vs 30 minutes) for Quantitative Ability

What do these changes portend for you? How do your preparation and exam-taking strategies change on account of these changes?

For one, given the increase in time per question in all the sections, you can surely expect a higher percentage of difficult questions.

The paper would still consist of east questions; however, you now need to more vigilant in your selection of questions. Going by the trend noticed in IBPS and SBI PO Mains Exams, Reasoning Ability and Quantitative Aptitude sections could see a higher difficulty.

Two – make sure you are focusing on the general awareness section – this could turn out to be the game changer this year.

Generally, this is a high scoring section and previous trends suggest a higher number of questions from banking related concepts compared to questions based on current affairs. You would do well to brush up your concepts of banking and websites such as ours –  www.conduiraonline.com provide you relevant video lessons to help you do so.

Three, expect to see newer question varieties – particularly in the English Language section. While the underlying concepts might be the same, the way you are evaluated on these could change. Ensure that you are taking multiple mock tests so that you are exposed to different question varieties to avoid surprises in the actual exam.

Possible Cut-Offs

Predicting cut-offs is a job fraught with danger and is certainly foolhardy to do before the actual exam is conducted. However, as a test-taker, you should have a figure in mind for the number of questions you need to attempt.

Different states have different cut-offs and last year, the cut-offs ranged between 37 and 42 for General Category (when scaled down to 100). Factors such as an increase in difficulty of questions could bring down the cut-off score while an increase in time allocated could push the cut-offs higher.

Taking these multiple factors in to consideration we believe that a serious aspirant should attempt 115 to 120 questions with high accuracy to clear the cut-offs this year. However, please be warned that this is only a guess estimate and actual cut-offs could vary.

In conclusion, over the course of next one month, ensure that you revise your basics across different sections, put in additional effort in to general and banking awareness concepts and take multiple mock tests to fine tune your test-taking strategies.

Finally, as we come close to the end of the year, let me take this opportunity to thank all our readers for accompanying us on this journey. It has now been more than a year since we have started interacting with you all through this column and it has been a great experience.

On behalf of Conduira Online, I hope that the new year brings you loads of joy, happiness and success – both on personal and professional fronts.

-P V Rama Sasank, Chief Platform Officer, Conduira Online.

SOURCE : https://telanganatoday.com/tips-ace-ibps-clerk-mains-exam

DATED : 25/12/2017

How to Create Job Stability for Yourself

It's not always easy to feel secure in your career, especially if your industry is constantly changing. Whether you're already working for a company or actively searching for a job, feeling apprehensive about your professional future can affect your performance and drive.

Instability is a concern for many workers, but there are ways to work through it. The first step is to create job stability for yourself. Based on advice from career experts and business leaders, here's how to do it.

1. Choose the job you love.

When you're doing something you enjoy each day, you'll feel more inspired and confident. You need to choose not only an industry that suits your interests, but also a company that aligns with your values and desires as a worker.

"If you are part of a company that values your insight and opinions – a place where you feel comfortable to collaborate and share – you will have confidence to be a part of the change, and not afraid of the changes that are occurring around you," said Amanda Beers, vice president of learning and development for The Learning Experience.

Remember that you do not need to stick with the same company forever. When you have the experience and incentive to move on to a better fit, don't hold yourself back out of fear.

"There is no such thing as professional loyalty any longer," said Alex Wojcik, Midwest sales representative at Epic Brewing Company. "In especially fast-moving industries, be prepared to go with that flow. You may feel you are damaging yourself by making job changes, but truthfully, it's all positioning. No one cares how long you worked in one place, especially when they need you to get the job done urgently. Diversify your skill set, and you will fit into more places than you could have imagined."

2. Make yourself more profitable.

If you want to feel stable in your career, you need to make yourself an asset in your industry. Lisa Rangel, president and CEO of Chameleon Resumes, advised creating a demand for the work you do.

"Factually document your wins, and share these wins in the right venues to remind your employer and their competitors that you rock and are at the top of your game," she said.

Additionally, Wojcik recommended attending seminars, getting to know competitors, and understanding the ins and outs of the company you work for.

It's also important to continue investing in yourself and your potential, said Beers.

"Take the time to learn what skills you can continue to develop and spend time investing in those," she said. "Whether it is additional credentials and certifications or seeking out a mentor, take the opportunity to invest in your growth and development."

3. Be active on social media platforms.

Regardless of whether you're actively searching for a job or not, you should maintain a professional online presence on sites like LinkedIn and Twitter.

"The days of updating [just] your resume have become part of the past," said Beers. "Today, we can not only see what skills you have but who has endorsed those, who you are connected with and what sparks your interest."

Not only should you be active on your own profiles, you should also be researching potential companies for a glimpse at their culture.

"Through platforms like Glassdoor, LinkedIn and Twitter, you can see authentic pictures, posts and responses for a glimpse into how the company can benefit you and your needs," said Beers.

4. Expand your professional network.

Knowing people in your industry – or even in other industries – will help you when searching for job opportunities, which is why it's so important to network.

"Marketing yourself is no different from marketing a product or service," said Rangel. "Work with a coach to craft your message that will organically grow your professional network."

Beers recommended attending social events, philanthropic activities, networking groups, professional development days and more to meet and engage with people in your industry.

"If you see collaboration happening, offer your insight and suggestions, and actively participate in activities and meetings," she said. "Get to know all the people who make up your organization, because people outside your department can be a mentor too."

Above all, she advised to always be yourself.

"The more you shine, the larger your network will grow," said Beers.

Source : businessnewsdaily

Dated : 22/10/2017

Five ways to deal with a poor appraisal

Bad appraisals, like bad hair days, happen to the best of us. Quitting is not a solution. Rather, take a good look at your performance and concentrate on the course ahead.

Look Within: The first step in dealing with a bad appraisal is to keep an honest mindset and introspect about your performance. "First ask yourself the question: 'What is wrong with me?'. Once you attack that, other things usually fall into place," says Dabur India HR head A Sudhakar.

Talk to the Boss: Speak to the boss about the performance review. "There is a good chance your boss may not have remembered critical activities and initiatives you have undertaken," says Meenakshi Roy, senior vice president, human resource, Reliance Broadcast Network.

Take it in your Stride: There is a good chance that your boss' critical evaluation is spot on. "Try never to take these critiques personally and quit. That may be your biggest mistake. Consider consulting another senior colleague or a mentor," says Roy.

Plan Ahead: "Be actively involved in setting your targets for the year ahead based on your strengths," says S Roy, a midlevel manager in an IT firm . Also, periodically review your performance with your boss. That way, there will be fewer unpleasant surprises.

Move on Gracefully: At times, reasons not connected with your performance affect the appraisal you deserve. "You can bring up the issue with your bosses. But if nothing comes of it, it's time to move on," says Sudhakar. But don't make an ugly exit. "You never know when it can come back to haunt you," he adds.

Source : Economic Times

No gloom here, job-seekers are having a field day

The India story remains robust, as far as human resources go.

The local recruitment and human resource (HR) services industry will post a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 20% in the next five years, says a report by the Executive Recruiters Association (ERA) in association with global consulting firm Ernst & Young (E&Y).

The sectoral size will race to the `55,700 crore milestone, given the rapid growth of the market from a highly fragmented and unorganised sector to a structured and organised industry.

The industry size currently stands at `22,800 crore, dominated by talent acquisition in the form of recruitment, temporary staffing and executive search. The best part is it has been growing at a CAGR of 21% for the last four years — from 2008 to 2011.

Vipul Varma, chairman, ERA, thinks that HR services and recruitment have come of age and may see a wave of consolidation with the entry of multi-national companies (MNCs) and emergence of new models like recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) and managed services.

“HR consultants are now increasingly being viewed as partners in an organisation’s growth strategy rather than just being vendors.
The search market is growing on the back of expansion and diversification plans by domestic and international companies across sectors. This apart, recruitment as a practice is evolving from an unstructured and fragmented ecosystem to players adopting new norms of productivity and efficiency,” said Verma, while marking out key industry growth drivers. ERA is a non-profit chamber of commerce representing Indian executive recruitment consulting firms.

The report also highlighted that more and more companies are pouring into the temporary staff model due to growing business complexity and talent challenges. This approach allows them to go for smaller bench strength to tackle mounting global economic uncertainties.

Amit Zutshi, partner, Ernst & Young Transaction Advisory Services practice, offers some useful insights. He is of the opinion that the Indian economic, social and cultural landscape is in an unprecedented state of flux.
“The need for solutions for complex problems of growth, innovation, and professionalisation is driving the opportunity for the HR solutions industry in a way that has never been seen before,” said Zutshi.

Coming to the professional staffing market in India, IT and engineering sectors, along with increased staffing, may play a decisive role, moving forward. Growth in key user industries such as retail, ITeS and telecom, and large companies shifting to the organised space are likely to add momentum to general staffing.

Reeling off some statistics, Bijou Kurien, president and chief executive, Lifestyle, Reliance Retail, said: “The $450 billion Indian retail sector employs 35 million people across traditional and modern retail. Retail is the second-largest employment generator after agriculture sector and modern trade will create 18 million new jobs by 2022. Approximately, 75% of these people will be required in the front end.”

Pradeep Dhar, CMD, Vitasta Consulting Pvt, feels temporary staffing is getting bigger especially with IT, ITeS and a few other services industries like hotels, food and catering businesses.

“The phenomenon is huge with information technology and IT enabled services as the requirements there are very huge, given the kind of attrition levels at these companies,”said Dhar.

Payroll outsourcing is also picking up big time with domestic and international companies operating in India as it’s considered a complex and non-core activity. The other notable aspect here is attrition. While players in the IT industry put it at 12-13%, the figure actually tends to go up to as high as 20%. Of the whole lot, RPO has been identified as an emerging concept in the Indian recruitment and HR services industry.

Source : DNAINDIA

Before taking new job, exit gracefully

In case you have recently got a job offer, make sure you collect your relieving letter before you join the company. Also, do not take your exit interview for granted, says a recent survey by TeamLease Services, a recruitment firm. The survey revealed that 92 per cent of the employees and managements across all industries take exit policies seriously. The survey also shows that while recruiting, over 90 per cent of the companies stress on a relieving letter.

The study, called ‘Impactful Exits’ surveyed around 800 people across eight cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.

“Employees are recognizing that the labour markets are small and ungraceful exits come back with compound interest later. Adherence to a professional and clean exit is increasingly being witnessed in the work force today. But we don’t anticipate relieving certificates becoming a deal breaker for new employers until the skill crisis eases,” said Surabhi Mathur Gandhi, senior vice-president, IT Sourcing, TeamLease Services.

The objective of the research was to understand the employees’ seriousness about the exit process and assessing the processes at various companies. The study aimed to evaluate the importance of having the exit policy in place and its impact. As far as the city-specific figures are concerned, 99 per cent of employees in Chennai and Bengaluru take the exit policy seriously. In Kolkata and Ahmedabad, the figure is 95 per cent, followed by Pune with 94 per cent. Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai stand at 92, 89 and 85 per cent respectively.

Apurva Sanaria, group director (HR & OD), IMRB International, said quit a firm for various reasons and exit interview plays a crucial role in understanding those reasons. “With job-hopping becoming a trend, it is important to retain good staff. At the same time, you get relevant inputs about an employee’s reason for leaving only during the exit interview.” Sanaria said at IMRB, as a company policy, a candidate cannot be given the appointment letter until he presents the relieving letter from his last firm.

TCS officials say the firm follows the exit procedure quite seriously. Bhushan Surve, assistant manager (HR), TCS, said, “Depending upon the reason stated by the employee, the HR can offer him/her options and retain the employee.”

The study also says that barring eight per cent of companies that conduct exit interviews online, most prefer a face-to-face interaction. In Pune, 71 per cent exit interviews are conducted manually, five per cent online and 24 per cent firms follow both. The survey points out that the top two reasons for a person leaving the company are growth opportunities and higher salaries.

Gautam Bhatara, who recently joined Reebok as area sales manager for Maharashtra and Goa after working for over three years at Tata Capital Ltd, has a different opinion about exit interviews and relieving letters. He feels that for many companies, exit interviews are a mere formality. “Not all companies are rigid about relieving letter. Some are willing to give a prospective employee extra time,” adds Bhatara, who made the switch as he wanted to shift from a finance-based company to a product-based one.

Source : INDIAN EXPRESS

Govt proposes job opportunities to prevent trafficking

The Ranchi district administration today proposed to explore job opportunities for the unemployed in the retail sector with an aim to prevent trafficking of innocent persons, who often fall in the trap of middlemen.

"We would like to use human resource by way of providing them employment. We can explore job (opportunities) in the retail sector," Deputy Commissioner K K Sone said during felicitation of 16 girls, who were trained as "house managers for hotels" after being rescued from the clutches traffickers.

Lauding efforts by Action against Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children and Women (ASTEC) in the rescue of trafficked girls and rehabilitating them, Sone assured additional funds if the youth were trained in other skills.

Echoing Sone's proposal, Jharkhand police chief G S Rath said Chamber of Commerce and Industries could be requested if employment could be generated in the retail sector, and efforts should also be made to explore opportunities in the health sector.

Terming trafficking as a horrible crime, Rath stressed on prevention and prosecution of trafficking while protecting and rehabilitating of the rescued persons.

Stating that Ranchi district was included in the Integrated Action Plan, Sone assured additional funds, provided the youth were imparted in training that would help them find their livelihood.

Referring to some rescued girls being trained as security guards and got postings in Kasturba Gandhi Residential School, Sone said the security guards were asked to pursue studies simultaneously so that they could move ahead on the ladder of success.

"We have told the girls (security guards) to teach other girls on self-defence skills so that the children can defend themselves," he said.

The ASTEC's Convener, Sanjay Kumar Mishra, said, 253 rescued girls were recruited as security guards in schools and private companies in the last few years.

Source : INDIAN EXPRESS

Why women do better than men in job interviews

Women, although typically more stressed about interviewing, perform better than their male counterparts in job interviews because they handle stress better than guys, say researchers.

That is the finding of new research by three University of Western Ontario researchers who looked at how men and women handled the stresses of job interviews.

“We conducted two different studies,” Live Science quoted JustinFeeney, a doctoral student who participated on the research team, as tellingBusinessNewsDaily.

Feeney conducted the research with Julie McCarthy, a professor at theRotman School of Management, Richard Goffin, professor of industrial psychology, all of the University of Western Ontario.

“The first one examined the effects of job interview anxiety on job interview performance and we confirmed previous research that interview anxiety is a negative predictor of performance. Then what we looked at was whether gender influenced these findings. We found that even though women experienced more interview anxiety than men, it didn’t affect their performance as much as it did for men. We were curious of why that was,”Feeney stated.

That curiosity drove the researchers to look further into why there was a difference between men and women in interviews.To determine this, the researchers conducted simulated interviews in more than 400 students at the university to see the coping mechanisms those students employed.

“We tailored an instrument that measured coping styles of men and women in interviews and what we found was women adapted more proactively than did men,” Feeney said.

“They would do things like seek social support from loved ones, friends and colleagues about their anxiety and do practical things like practicing mock interviews with their friends. Men, on the other hand, reacted with more maladaptive coping strategies. They would pretend it was not happening, ignore it, watch TV and do things that relieved stress, but hindered performance later,” he explained.

While the findings of this research may be useful for interviewees, they also have significance for businesses looking to hire.Since businesses also have a lot to lose by hiring the wrong person, Feeney warns businesses not to simply look to the interview as the ultimate predictor of future success or failure.

“Research is showing that anxiety actually impairs the validity of the instrument. You will actually end up making poor hiring decisions as a result of anxiety,” noted Feeney.

“Based on the current research, I would suggest really practically focusing on how to improve their performance. Practice mock interviews and read books on interviews so you can increase your self-efficacy. Talk to friends and family about the interview and how to deal with the anxiety,” Feeneyconcluded.

Source : DNAINDIA