5 Creative Career Goals to Improve Your Job Prospects in 2017

Your artistry and skills are in high demand. Some of the hottest creative positions right now are in graphic design, user experience (UX) design and web design, But even though your job prospects are good, you shouldn’t wait around for offers to fall in your lap. Set these career goals in the new year to truly take advantage of the current job market.

Intimidated by the thought of mapping out your professional future? Don’t be. The process doesn’t have to be daunting, and it may even be exciting and inspirational. The key is to make sure all of your career goals are SMART:Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound.

Take a look at five ways to improve your marketability and amp up your job prospects in 2017.

5 Creative Career Goals & Strategies for a More Successful 2017

1. Become a “dual threat.”

In football, dual threats are quarterbacks who can run as well as they throw. To succeed in today’s creative environment, you must also be able to do more than one thing well. That’s because hybrid professionals—for example, graphic designers who are familiar with web layouts or social media – are in high demand. Consider expanding your skill set as one of your career goals for 2017.

2. Get a certification or degree.

In the design field, your digital portfolio and years of experience are largely what gets you in the door. However, many employers give preference to candidates with some college education, while others require a bachelor’s degree. If you are at a place in your life where additional schooling is a possibility, include this as you update your career goals. Not only will your design skills improve with additional formal education, but so will your job prospects.

Certifications also help your resume stand out. Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) offers a variety of single product, specialist and master certifications. If you’re a project manager interested in leading UX programs, the PM-UX is a good option. For 2017, make it a career goal to pursue a post-secondary degree or industry credential.

3. Make connections.

Building your network is also an excellent way to improve your job prospects. Join your local AIGA chapter and make it a point to get to know creative professionals in your area. And consider picking at least one national design conference,

Regardless of your methods, set measurable goals to help you connect with other creative professionals.

4. Define your brand.

Do you have a personal brand? Whether you’re a full-time employee or a freelancer, make it one of your career goals to develop or update your brand, which can be a powerful tool when job searching. Set aside a few hours to identify your style, philosophy and values, and think about what differentiates you from every other designer out there.

Then market yourself. Social media is a natural place to build your brand. Possible career goals include tweeting more regularly, creating video clips for your Facebook account and curating a stunning Instagram page. Measure your progress with digital analytics and media tracking tools. A solid brand presence goes a long way in boosting your job prospects.

5. Work with a mentor.

A knowledgeable mentor can provide helpful advice and encouragement at any stage of your career. Identify a design mentor and ask if he or she would be willing to meet with you once a month. Spell out your objectives beforehand, such as to become a more effective communicator or to prepare yourself for management. Be sure to agree on how long the formal relationship will last. After all, the role of a good mentor is to prepare you to fly solo.

Setting career goals is more than a New Year’s resolution. It is the launching pad for getting smarter about the industry, improving your job prospects and landing the design job that’s the best fit for you.

6 tips to outshine others at campus placements

Campus placement is the first bet for any graduate seeking employment. Given the large number of graduates stepping out of colleges in India, companies are very cautious about who they pick and for what roles. And somehow, the placement offered – along with the pay package has become a barometer for the institution’s success and individual’s career prospects also.

“Campus Placement is one of the big events in management campuses of India and the placement season is just about to begin in various top institutes in this country,” says Prof. Andrew Dutta from MDI Gurgaon. He elaborates, “Although on account of the recent demonetization companies are appearing bullish about their headcount uptake for the next fiscal, top campuses are very jubilant on the onset of the placement season.”

He also shares tips for the outgoing batches in MBA colleges must remember during placement are as below:

1. Keep a tight control over your disengagement quotient:
Though many are not aware, medical studies abroad are showing high levels of nomophobia among Gen Y. The MBA grads of India, who are Gen Ys, are no different and have high levels of disengagement with their environment.
Life is happening while they are busy texting or ear-plugged. Attitudinal issues related to disengagements show up during the interviews. And although a large majority of recruiters flocking MBA campuses are not properly trained to identify talents, yet they can easily spot someone with low levels of engagement that shows up as long-standing bad habits cultivated during the two years of management education.

2. Know your company and industry:
Surveys conducted among recruiters show that more than half of the candidates have no idea about the company they have applied and the industry constructs in which that company operates. MBA education is India is far from maturity and few institutes have the rigor that corporates admire. So, it makes a lot of sense for the candidate sitting in the placement or campus hiring that they do sift through substantial information about the company and its industry. Preparation about the company you are applying for and its industry is one of the master keys.

3. Say “I don’t know” if need be:
It’s a fact of life that today that in an information economy we cannot know everything which is happening around us. And more so, if you have not done any reading about your company and industry. But that apart, even if you are asked a tough domain question in your interview and you don’t know the right answer, it is best to own up and say “I don’t know”. The more you try to ‘appear’ as if you know the answer, the more your vulnerability gets exposed. Also fumbling for the right answer is an equal dampener for your prospects for a good job.

4. Match your strengths and aptitudes with the role:
Another area that requires careful handling is the display of fitment between the role offered by the company and you own strengths and aptitudes. Unless you know what the company wants from the role and what you have in you to fit into it, you will trail behind in the race.
Have clarity of what you are good at and have few true examples from your life to share and prove it. You must demonstrate during campus hiring that due to your unique strengths, you can add a lot of value to the company and to the job role offered. And don’t apply to sit for the process if you dont find this fitment. Better late than sorry is good in the long term.

5. Cracking the BEI code:
Although developed nations adopted competency based Behavioral Event Interviews way back in late 1970, countries like India are monstrously far behind these countries by decades. But multinationals operating in India follow global standards and so many subsidiaries of foreign companies conduct behaviour based interviews in MBA campuses to make high quality selections. Questions that start with “Tell me about a time…”, “Can you give me an incident from your life….”, “Tell me an instance where…..” and similar such questions that ask you to give specific examples of behavioural actions are indicators of basic level BEI questions. To answer such questions, you need to be honest, emphasise on the situation you faced, what action you took and the outcome that your action generated.

6. Appear nice and fresh:
Dressing in formals is not enough. Get some good sleep to stop looking tired. Don’t smoke a few minutes just before the interview as the smell lingers with you. Make sure you don’t have body odour or stink while you are sitting across the table and speaking. At the same time don’t put too loud perfumes and make-ups. Having a daily bath and clean under garments can add a completely different scale of confidence in you. Unfortunately, some of these basic requirements are forgotten in the mad race and stress of campus hiring and MBA life in general.

7 careers to watch out for in FMCG sector in 2017

FMCG is among the biggest employers in India. Amway India’s Chief Human Resources Officer shares insights into the emerging careers in this section.

FMCG has been one such industry which has been relatively stable and agnostic to the economic ups and downs. We believe that the conventional way of doing business in the FMCG space is getting challenged hence direct selling companies like Amway will stand to gain in the times to come.

Having said that, any skill set which becomes a game changer is what will be most sought after and will demand a premium. Or in other words, talent which provides the competitive edge is what will rule the roost!

Industry will witness a lot of specialists getting acquired. Here are 7 skills/specialist FMCG sector will look out for in the New Year:

1. “Last Mile” specialist:
Logistics and Distribution of any company is as good as it delivers! The consumer delight is when she gets the product not on time but before time!

2. Procurement professionals:
With competitive cost lines and the challenge thereof, specialised procurement skill sets will be of critical value to any FMCG company.

3. Innovators:
Both consumer and customer led innovation will take unprecedented steps forward in its significance to provide the edge that the company will need to handle competition.

4. Information technology:
IT in a FMCG will no more be merely a support function. It is the cutting edge technology which will steer the business and hence IT takes alarming importance.

5. Digital media specialists:
Marketing gets transformed from the conventional to the new age and it is inevitable that a company has to tread the digital path.

6. Organisational development (OD) specialist:
FMCGs will increasingly look at change management and this is the space where OD skill set will find greater space.

7. Sales leaders:
Companies will look out for sales leaders who takes the unchartered path to generate sales – a ‘new age’ approach to sales is the paradigm that all FMCGs are going through in today’s business scenario.

Companies to offer 10% salary hike across industries in 2017

Indian organizations are expected to increase salaries by 10 per cent across industries and career levels in 2017, same as last year, and 54 per cent of the companies are expected to raise their headcount, says a survey.

According to Mercer’s ‘2016 India Total Remuneration Survey’ released today, 10 per cent salary increase is expected across industries in 2017, similar to 2015 and 2016.

“Over the years, salary increase differentiation across industries has narrowed down. Over the last three years, salary increases have stabilised around 10 per cent,” Ruchika Pal, Principal & India TRS Product Leader, Mercer said, adding that “the overall increases including promotions and market corrections, are pegged at 10.8 per cent”.

mong different industries surveyed, the projected salary increase ranges from 10 per cent to 11 per cent overall, with relatively higher increases for the life sciences and shared services industries.

The survey that covered 768 organizations across various industry sectors noted that 13.3 per cent attrition had been recorded across sectors.

7 Skills Every Digital Marketer Will Need In 2017

Today’s digital marketing experts must have a various set of skills, including a refined hold of accessible media channels

With the ever increasing development in digital media every day, there is a steady demand of skilled digital marketing professionals in the related field. Today’s digital marketing experts must have a various set of skills, including a refined hold of accessible media channels, the aptitude to identify the coming opportunities and on top of that having the essential skills of a brilliant marketer. They have to have power over the equilibrium of critical and creative thinking skills in order to make considerable success for the company.

Here are seven of the most considerable skills that is required to be a desirable job applicant in the digital age:

Good communication skills:

Digital Media is a platform where an organisation communicates with its intended audience through text, image or video. The value of the communication will ultimately conclude the outcome of any digital marketing campaign.

A combination of creative and analytical skills:

Digital marketing requires both creative thinking and analytical thinking, so the candidates who are capable and excited about both are more preferred by the digital marketing agencies. The new candidates want to focus solely on one or the other side of the coin, but it’s significant to apply both art and science to each digital program.

Social marketing skills:

Social media is a digital medium which is all about engagement and collaboration. The better you connect with your target audience, the better it will determine your ability to satisfy your customers needs and requirement on this medium. Furthermore, the social skills will help in learning from others and improve the success of your digital marketing campaigns.

Content marketing:

In this era of digital marketing, companies is still struggling with different ways to generate content that actually engages their intended audiences. Companies that have been able to achieve so are enjoying better success in their digital marketing strategies. Expertise to craft an engaging content is at the top of the skills list for 2017 and further.

Pay per click:

One of the most important and growing facets of SEM is pay-per-click service. In order to exhibit abilities in the related area, one need to show that you have the skill to research and analyse the requirement to craft and implement a strong PPC plan that aligns with a marketing strategy of a good reach.

Viral marketing:

Making content to move fast with a high pace is something that grabs the likes of Buzzfeed, Upworthy and ViralNova which have taken to a new level. Only focusing getting the occasional video, blog post, or image to go viral is worth it just from a brand awareness perspective. You should look at how those publishers do it and weave some of those tactics into your marketing campaigns.

Facebook advertising:

Facebook advertising today is as important as Google AdWords today. In any digital marketing strategy Facebook is a very essential component due to its sheer size. Facebook has the ability to drive traffic that almost as relevant as for any business as Google. And just like Google AdWords, it takes a while to comprehend how to work and how to utilise its full capacity for the outcome.

These sectors will generate most jobs in 2017

The beginning of a year rekindles the hopes for new opportunities. Year 2017 is starting at an interesting note when technology is fast becoming the backbone of all life functions and routines, be it jobs or shopping, studying or living.

This sentiment will affect the employment sector as well. “India has enjoyed a good 2016 and going into 2017, we expect the country to continue its positive growth, largely unaffected by the global economic slowdown.

The government’s initiatives such as ‘Make In India’ have created more opportunities for India’s export market, which has led to increased investment in the manufacturing sector”.

While digitisation is being hailed right now because it brings easy access and transparency to system, it also means that some job roles and functions will be redefined. Talking of these, Nicolas Dumoulin shared a list of sectors that are likely to hire in big numbers in the coming year. He also shared the skills that will possibly be in demand in these sectors in the time ahead. Check these here.

Domain – HR

Roles: Total rewards and Talent Management specialists
Specialists should ideally know how to implement innovative compensation and benefit structures that include long and short-term incentive plans such as employee stock options (ESOPs).

Domain – Finance

Roles: Vice-presidents of finance and chief financial officers
Skills in demand include financial planning and analysis, with mature companies and start-ups looking to hire shared services staff and financial controllers.

Domain – Analytics

High demand for analytics professionals such as data scientists, digital analysts, risk modelling and risk strategy professionals as more companies, big and small, build up their analytics capabilities.

Domain – Digital marketing

High demand for marketers with experience in social marketing, digital and SEO marketing who understand how to operate in an “always on” environment with highly targeted marketing messages.

Domain – Logistics and supply chain

Demand for professionals with global logistics experience (including import/export, customs clearance and trade compliance) and deep experience in planning functions (demand and supply, sales and operation planning)

Domain – Strategy and change management

Demand for senior strategy consultants, especially professionals with industry experience in pharmaceutical and health care industry.

Domain – Legal

High demand for more mid-senior level legal professionals as more multinational companies enter the Indian market and have to scale up in-house legal teams.

Want a job? Stick to these 7 commandments

Year 2017 is starting on a hope that the economy will get back to the track and all impending corporate decisions – like hiring – will come back on the track. Industry experts are hopeful that the economy will be able to recover from demonetisation in the first half of the year. Hiring experts are also predicting that recruitment sentiment will be cautious but positive in the coming year.

To understand how job seekers should prepare for the jobs coming their way. Here are her words of advice:

1. Social profile 
Get your social profile in order so that it becomes a magnet for prospective employers.
Put a shortened link of your profile on your CV as well, to let the employers know how connected you are in the industry. It must highlight some critical aspects such as valuable recommendations from senior colleagues, awards and recognitions received and contact details including email/ phone no. to make it easier for a recruiter to reach out to you and avoid delays in the process of recruitment.

2. Well-formatted resume 
An extremely well formatted, one-page resume, with no spelling / grammar / language mistakes shows your seriousness to your employer.

3. Attire
Dress up well in comfortable – business formals, including polished black shoes or other formal footwear. Avoid facial hair, jewellery, accessories, excessive make up and excessive fragrance.

4. Polish your skills 
Polish and hone your skills continuously and learn new things daily.

5. Research about employer 
Use your social connections to find out maximum possible information about your future employer, its work culture, practices etc. Don’t hesitate, go network like a pro.

6. Confidence 
The confidence you ooze at the time of interview can make all the difference to make you stand out from all other candidates, and it comes with practice. Practice speaking in front of mirror and at least memorise your current KRAs and answers to standard questions.

7. Extra-curricular activities
The kind of extracurricular activities you pursue can tell your employer a great deal about the network you have, how productively you spend your time and what you want to achieve in life. It could be fitness, sports, cooking, fine arts, or whatever you love to do.