RADHIKA MENON - Breaking the stereotypes !

RADHIKA MENON - Breaking the stereotypes ! Home Amazing world RADHIKA MENON Breaking the stereotypes !Amazing worldcareerRADHIKA MENON Breaking the stereotypes !By Dr. Neha Satoiya - December 6, 201614620Facebook Tumblr Mix VK LINE Viber Indian women are  the shining beacons of hope and have displayed exemplary dedication in their  individual  fields. Though they have  been perceived by  the world  as the  quiet, docile  kind of  women, with long hair, clad in a  sari  with  countless  gold  jewellery,  who  prefer to  be  inside  the house,  and enjoy  taking care of their families. But, in  each  generation, some  woman  or  the other  have  continuously  broken the stereotypes, and  proved  them to be  robust,  independent  and multi-faceted.Master of  an  oil tanker  who  says she was “just doing her job” has received  the very best  IMO  bravery recognition for saving the lives of seven fishermen from a sinking  fishing boat  during  a  turbulent  storm  within the Bay of  Bengal  in  June  2015.“It is  each   seafarer’s and Master’s solemn duty and obligation  to save lives in distress. I  simply  did what a  mariner  ought to  do for a fellow soul in distress  at sea. Yes,  it had been  an immediate  call;  however,  not while not  assessing the risks  concerned. I  simply  did my duty,”  aforesaid  Captain Radhika Menon, Master of the oil merchandise  tanker Sampurna Swarajya.She was speaking  when  IMO  Secretary-General Kitack Lim  bestowed  her with the 2016  IMO  Award for Exceptional Bravery  at sea  on  Monday  (21 November),  during  an  emotional ceremony.  TheCaptain Menon  is the  1st  female  captain  in the  Indian  merchant  Navy  and therefore the  1st  female  to receive the IMO  Award for Exceptional Bravery  at sea.Captain Menon was  nominated  for the award by  the Indian government, for her  great  determination and  bravery in leading the  troublesome  rescue operation  to save  all seven fishermen from the  fishing boat  Durgamma. The boat was adrift followin g  breakdown  and loss of anchor in stormy weather. Food and water had been washed away and that they  were  surviving  on ice from the cold storage.Through wave heights of  quite  twenty five  feet, winds of  quite  sixty  knots and  serious  rain, on  22  June2015, the second officer on the Sampurna Swarajya  noticed  the boat  0.5 kilometers away, off the coast of Gopalpur, Orissa. Captain Menon  straight off  ordered an  operation, utilizing the  ladder  and with life jackets and buoys on standby. It took  3  arduous  tries  within the  lashing wind and rain and  serious  swells, before all seven fishermen of different age groups were rescued safely. Their families lost all hopes to get their loved ones back and were heading for performing their funeral rites.  However,  due to the rescue,  led  by Captain Menon, they were reunited with their  adored  ones  a few  days later.A small video featuring one of the rescued fisherman Dasari Danayya, speaking in his home  city  of Kakin ada,  Andhra Pradesh was broadcasted during the award ceremony. Dasari,  said  that  without Captain Menon,  they’d  not be alive. Madam appeared as a  divinity, and saved our lives.Captain Menon started her career as a radio officer then she progressed to a deck officer and later was appointed as Master of the Sampurna Swarajya.Needless  to mention, is there  something  that  the ladies  of this country cannot achieve?Take a bow,  ladies!  Dr. Neha SatoiyaTAGSbraverycaptainIndiaindian armynavywomenwomen empowerment

Twentysomething Constantly laying groundwork for the next career move

Twentysomething Constantly laying groundwork for the next career move By Ryan Healy A question I have been thinking about for months is, what is more beneficial to a young persons career; putting in the extra time to do great work for a company that undervalues them, or finding a hobby that will positively contribute to the career they hope to have in the long run? For me, the answer is the latter. Until I find the perfect career that I yearn for, I will keep searching for areas that interest me outside of work. Searching requires time and effort outside of work, but my career is my personal responsibility, so I refuse to rely solely on a company to develop the skills necessary to become successful in the business world. When I first started out in the corporate world I listened to all of the typical corporate advice. I networked within my company as much as I could. I tried my best to do amazing work to prove myself to my managers. I stayed around the office until my superiors went home. I did everything in my power to get noticed within the company. And of course, I sucked up to every bigwig I happened to meet. Wow was I wrong. Listening to this advice and doing all of these things probably are really good for my career if I want to go to the corner office. But working 20 years to make it to the corner office is the last thing on my mind right now, and statistics show that I probably wont even stick around long enough to make it the corner cubicle. So Ive decided to work hard and participate in some of the office politics. But Im going to devote a large portion of my time to a new hobby that will probably be more valuable to my career in the long run blogging. Most of my friends dont love their jobs and arent sure what they want to do. Of course, many of them just go through the motions at work and relish in their play time, which is completely respectable; but some of my most motivated friends are trying to find their next hobby that could spark a great career. My girlfriend Niki really wants to help children with disabilities. So she wrote some emails and made some calls to local learning centers. Two days later she had leads on multiple volunteer opportunities. Niki found a new hobby that allows her to test the waters in her new field of interest and potential career. My friend and blog partner Ryan Paugh is teaching himself about web design and plans to take a class to improve his skills. Ryan knows that working hard and networking at his current writing job can be somewhat beneficial to his career. But his new web interest will probably do more for his career in the long run. One of my friends spends his free time writing screen plays for a potential future in the movie business. Another friend is so bored with work that he decided to take advantage of downtime at work and hes learning Spanish. Investing all of your energy into a corporate job is extremely limiting. If I love my current line of work and want to climb the corporate ladder all the way to the top, then making the right contacts, waiting around the office for my supervisor to leave and sucking up to the bigwigs might be the best career move. But my current work probably isnt what I will do for the rest of my life, and anyway there is always a risk of being fired. So I will do good work, network a little, and put the rest of my energy into a hobby that just might take me where I really want to go.

Reach Your Goal by Helping the Team - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Reach Your Goal by Helping the Team - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Salespeople tend to operate in their own  personal zone.  Much of this stems from the competitive nature of being in an office where everyone wants  to achieve recognition  by selling more than anyone else on the team. But, just suppose as a salesperson or entrepreneur, your service has little recognition or acceptance, due to the value not being well understood. How would you proceed? Secrecy and competitiveness will not help you gain market share. Something needs to change. A better approach is to consider collaborating with teammates and competitors. Understand that if you are having difficulty, most likely those in your field are experiencing the same. Collaborating with your competitors is a highly unusual idea, but when done well, will work to your favor. Consider combining  forces to create articles, blogs, and mini posts on the benefits and value the service will provide your prospective clientele. Include ideas of how other services may enhance the usage of your offering. By leveraging your combined connections, how many more people do you believe you will be able to reach?  Combining forces everywhere, in particular online, is a powerful strategy. Offer to get the ball rolling on the new project. Ask your collaborators for their insights on how to approach the market. Obtain their perspectives on value and benefits. Take the best of all the input and outline what you wish to get across to the public. And then create a campaign together that will turn heads. It is the extended reach that receives the attention of many. With your newly formed team working synergistically, your marketing effort will turn powerful in the marketplace. There will be enough business to go around and everyone working in the collaborative effort will win.  And after all, this is the model for the ideal sale where everyone wins. By being of the mindset to initiate collaboration,  you not only take the leadership position but also witness greatly improved results.  You will have more than reached your goal by helping your teammates. During the process, you just might find future joint venture partners and friends in the making. The next time you find your business in the doldrums, research what your counterparts are doing and how they are doing it. Are their results better than yours? Is it possible to approach them to have a candid conversation? When you are able to find like-minded peers, who value insights of others, you will have found new potential partners. Being open to observe and learn from everyone around you, while taking in the good and the bad, will point you to the better direction and possible partnership. Reaching out to help others and yourself may turn out to be the beginning of your journey to improved business. As the first project appears to take off, create complementary projects with those who wish to continue together. Your personal brand will blossom too as others come to seek your guidance. It’s quite possible that the meeting of the minds will produce an entirely new business with you appointed as CEO. Your final destination will be the Smooth Sale!

3 Opportunities for Frictionless Ecommerce Experiences

3 Opportunities for Frictionless Ecommerce Experiences The more hoops online shoppers have to jump through to make a purchase, the more likely they are to abandon shopping carts. One survey shows 35 percent of customers who recently abandoned a cart did so because the website required them to create an account, and 27 percent cited a “long/complicated checkout process.” In other words, online merchants who facilitate frictionless ecommerce experiences gain a competitive edge in the marketplace. Modern ecommerce means meeting customers where they already are and eliminating transaction hurdles whenever possible. Luckily, opportunities for frictionless ecommerce experiences are all around us. Consider implementing these three examples into your sales funnel to reduce cart abandonment rates and provide shoppers with a streamlined experience from start to finish. One-Click Buying Amazon once had a patent on the 1-Click buying button. Other brands either had to license this technology from the ecommerce giant or live without it. Barnes Noble faced a lawsuit for utilizing a similar abbreviated checkout process in the late ‘90s. The patent’s expiration leaves room for other online sellers to implement similar technology. Its premise is simple: Consumers only have to input their information once for the store to “remember” them, shaving time and effort off future purchases and compelling them to buy quickly and easily. Let’s say you want to open a furniture store online. Even if it takes a while to offer customers one-click checkout, you can still avoid some of the major pitfalls leading to cart abandonment in the short term. For example, allowing consumers to check out as a guestâ€"rather than requiring them to create an account up frontâ€"tends to make the process less daunting, especially for those shopping for new furniture on mobile devices.  Mobile Apps While having a highly usable website is a must for modern ecommerce brands, a lot of buying is starting to take place outside the web browser alone. Mobile applications are a perfect example of frictionless ecommerce because they save consumers the hassle of re-entering their payment information every time they want to check out. All they have to do after their initial visit is open the app, make their selections and confirm the purchase. Everyone from rideshare companies to music stores, cafes, television providers and more are taking advantage of this convenient model.  Social Media Social media is great for connecting directly with customers, posting relevant content and driving traffic to your blog and website. But the arrival of buy buttons makes social media platforms a site for actually completing ecommerce transactions. If a customer sees something they like in a Facebook shop, they can check out without having to transition from the app to a brand’s separate website. Every step you can eliminate gives buyers one less chance to reconsider their purchase or bail on the process out of impatience. The integration of “Buy Now” buttons also breathes new life into content marketing strategies, as sellers can integrate them into blog posts as well as social media. This strategy targets buyers when they’re most interested in learning more about a product and obtaining it for themselves, increasing the likelihood they’ll go through with the transaction. Watching an informative how-to video or reading an engaging long-form blog post serves as the gateway to buying a product for themselvesâ€"all without leaving the comfort of their current platform. Taking advantage of these three opportunities for frictionless ecommerce experiences will empower you to give consumers an ideal shopping experience; smooth, speedy and secure. Mobile applications, integrated buy buttons and one-click buying have the potential to reduce shopping cart abandonment and boosting overall sales.

Get Your Career Assignments In Time With Odesk Resume Writing Skills Test Answers

Get Your Career Assignments In Time With Odesk Resume Writing Skills Test AnswersIt would seem that Odesk has its resume writing skills test answers 2020 out the window of its website as soon as we enter it. After all, the return visitors will see the advertisement and instantly click on it. It seems like you can have your very own public service resume form without having to pay.But this is not the case. Anyone who uses the site to research for a career does have to pay for the privilege of filling out the online forms. This is because many people want to use the site to look for information about jobs, or in order to request an explanation of the many terms and conditions of the companies they have heard about from other people. And so these people are forced to pay the site for the right to access the information they need.The return visitors who already filled out the forms should still be able to see the terms and conditions listed at the bottom of the page. It would appear that Odesk is trying to clear up the confusion as to what they really sell. The main problem seems to be related to the policy regarding sending out the testing and validation details. This policy is actually making things difficult for the site's own users.For example, if a business that uses the site to find a new job wanted to run a small business, then they might receive an invitation to submit their application by mail. And Odesk has indeed said that they will send out the validation emails but only after the trial period has ended.Therefore, it would seem that if a business were to try to send out the validation form to Odesk in order to find out the truth about their eligibility for the job, they could potentially get a rejection because of the fact that the email was sent in error. In the event that they sent it out incorrectly, they could then choose to do nothing and not risk any part of the payment to keep trying for a job that has no promise of success.If this were to happen , it would certainly appear as if the company made some sort of unusual mistake that was caused by their normal human error rather than by the submission process itself. The entire purpose of having the testing and validation process is to make sure that everyone who fills out the form receives a chance to have their opinion counted. No one wants to miss out on a promotion simply because they accidentally didn't send the validation email.As a result, Odesk seems to be trying to get this clarification right and perhaps we will be seeing more policies that prevent the website from sending the validation and testing emails to those who do not qualify for the offers in question. Or perhaps they will simply stop being so aggressive about convincing their customers to pay.Testing and validation can be a complex thing. And there have been a lot of questions about how they work as well. There is also the question of whether or not it is necessary for someone to understand all of the terms a nd conditions associated with an offer before they can join a business, but hopefully this will resolve itself in time.

7 Ways to Kill Your Career

7 Ways to Kill Your Career There are a lot of reasons why people lose their jobs. The most obvious: absenteeism, poor performance, lying, stealing, and harassment. But what about those hidden reasons? What about reasons that can blindside you at every level of your career while you’re showing up, working hard, and feeling optimistic about your future at work? To better understand a few of these sneaky career killers and how to avoid them, I spoke with curiosity expert and author of Living Curiously, Becki Saltzman. 1. Resist clustering in cliques Joining a clique at work can provide a sense of belonging and security, but these cliques can be career killers when you become branded for your peers and not for yourself. This is particularly dangerous for your career when your clique has fallen out of favor, become part of a huge layoff, or is not being targeted for positions of leadership. Cross-pollinate and expand your networks to be broader, rather than deeper. Develop relationships within your organization that are outside of your area of expertise, and expand your network outside of your industry. Andrew Hargadon, innovation researcher and author of How Breakthroughs Happen, refers to the process of assembling people, ideas, and objects in new combinations as “technology brokering.” In Living Curiously , Saltzman explains this cross-pollinating can help you apply innovative techniques to your career as a form of “life brokering” that can inoculate you against the effects of career-killing cliques. 2. Challenge bogus platitudes Statements and platitudes like “Let’s not reinvent the wheel,” or “Good things come to those who wait,” or “The customer is always right,” are often bandied about within organizations. While they can help unite companies, they can also act as roadblocks to career advancement if you’re not curious about when they apply and when they don’t. Test assumptions by facing these platitudes with a healthy dose of skepticism. Explore your company’s review and promotion process by asking a human resources specialist or finding a relaxing time to directly ask your boss. Look for a promotion that surprised you, and look for reasons for the promotion beyond “good things coming to someone who waits.” 3. Stop trying too hard to be interesting When you are new to an organization or at times when you feel marginalized at work, making an effort to have your co-workers, customers, and superiors get to know you better can seem like a good thing. However, the danger is in the perceived effort. Trying too hard to be interesting can backfire and make you appear self-centered and desperate. Instead, focus on being interested. Get more curious about others. Persuasion expert Robert Cialdini suggests looking for sincere reasons to like people. Saltzman suggests, “Finding and sharing uncommon commonalities is a proven way to connect with others without appearing desperate.” She adds, “Asking curious questions like, ‘What would surprise most people about your job?’ shows that you’re curious about others. This will make people more curious and interested in you.” 4. Refrain from too much groupthink Going along with group agreement or disagreement can make decision-making easier than pioneering original ideas or boldly suggesting different alternatives. However, overly relying on this type of groupthink can reduce your career mojo. Instead, engage in new ways of thinking and suggest others do the same. Consider preposterous ideas. Use both divergent (free-range) thinking and convergent (applied) thinking. Saltzman suggests asking the curious question, “Is it better, in this instance, to be wrong in a crowd, or right alone?” 5. Bust biases Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts that help us process information more quickly, but they also can mislead us and negatively impact our career decisions. Outsmart your biases by going against your gut and putting your intuition to the test. Listen to and consider ideas and information that do not confirm what you believe or wish to be true. If you’re an investor, for example, seek information that could indicate that you’re overpaying for an investment that you really want to make. Attempt to consider ideas generated by people who you usually dismiss. 6. Fend off familiarity According to Saltzman, familiarity is a two-pronged career-killer. One type of familiarity comes from too much sharing. The other type comes from too much “knowing.” Too much sharing is avoided by keeping the drama away from the workplace. Too much “knowing” is trickier. Certainly giving off the impression of not knowing can be a career-killer. But we also stifle the curiosity needed to advance in our careers if we believe we know all that there is to know. Try new things outside of work, like learning archery, as a way to reconnect with your beginner mindset and regain comfort with less familiarity in situations where your career is not at stake. 7. Avoid behavior bombs Triggers and biases cause us to behave less than optimally by activating our personal behavior bombs. Your triggers might cause you to erupt when confronted by the selfish behavior of others, the feeling of being ignored or falsely accused, or feeling excluded from decision-making. It is important to be curious about and aware of these triggers before they activate your behavior bombs and cause you to destroy your career. Creating “trigger tools” that help you elevate curiosity ahead of criticism, judgment, fear, or complacency allows you to access the trigger before reacting with a behavior bomb. In Living Curiously, Saltzman suggests imagining an electronic dial that you can twist to elevate your curiosity so that you can instantly start reacting to behavior bomb triggers with curiosity instead of emotion. You can reduce the power of these triggers over you and your career. Being aware of these less obvious career killers is the first step in making sure that they don’t blindside you. Understanding how to combat them will ensure that they do not reduce your career mojo. 7 ways to kill your career There are a lot of reasons why people lose their jobs. The most obvious: absenteeism, poor performance, lying, stealing, and harassment. But what about those hidden reasons? What about reasons that can blindside you at every level of your career while you’re showing up, working hard, and feeling optimistic about your future at work? To better understand a few of these sneaky career killers and how to avoid them, I spoke with curiosity expert and author of Living Curiously, Becki Saltzman. 1. Resist clustering in cliques Joining a clique at work can provide a sense of belonging and security, but these cliques can be career killers when you become branded for your peers and not for yourself. This is particularly dangerous for your career when your clique has fallen out of favor, become part of a huge layoff, or is not being targeted for positions of leadership. Cross-pollinate and expand your networks to be broader, rather than deeper. Develop relationships within your organization that are outside of your area of expertise, and expand your network outside of your industry. Andrew Hargadon, innovation researcher and author of How Breakthroughs Happen, refers to the process of assembling people, ideas, and objects in new combinations as “technology brokering.” In Living Curiously, Saltzman explains this cross-pollinating can help you apply innovative techniques to your career as a form of “life brokering” that can inoculate you against the effects of career-killing cliques. 2. Challenge bogus platitudes Statements and platitudes like “Let’s not reinvent the wheel,” or “Good things come to those who wait,” or “The customer is always right,” are often bandied about within organizations. While they can help unite companies, they can also act as roadblocks to career advancement if you’re not curious about when they apply and when they don’t. Test assumptions by facing these platitudes with a healthy dose of skepticism. Explore your company’s review and promotion process by asking a human resources specialist or finding a relaxing time to directly ask your boss. Look for a promotion that surprised you, and look for reasons for the promotion beyond “good things coming to someone who waits.” 3. Stop trying too hard to be interesting When you are new to an organization or at times when you feel marginalized at work, making an effort to have your co-workers, customers, and superiors get to know you better can seem like a good thing. However, the danger is in the perceived effort. Trying too hard to be interesting can backfire and make you appear self-centered and desperate. Instead, focus on being interested. Get more curious about others. Persuasion expert Robert Cialdini suggests looking for sincere reasons to like people. Saltzman suggests, “Finding and sharing uncommon commonalities is a proven way to connect with others without appearing desperate.” She adds, “Asking curious questions like, ‘What would surprise most people about your job?’ shows that you’re curious about others. This will make people more curious and interested in you.” 4. Refrain from too much groupthink Going along with group agreement or disagreement can make decision-making easier than pioneering original ideas or boldly suggesting different alternatives. However, overly relying on this type of groupthink can reduce your career mojo. Instead, engage in new ways of thinking and suggest others do the same. Consider preposterous ideas. Use both divergent(free-range) thinking and convergent(applied) thinking. Saltzman suggests asking the curious question, “Is it better, in this instance, to be wrong in a crowd, or right alone?” 5. Bust biases Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts that help us process information more quickly, but they also can mislead us and negatively impact our career decisions. Outsmart your biases by going against your gut and putting your intuition to the test. Listen to and consider ideas and information that do not confirm what you believe or wish to be true. If you’re an investor, for example, seek information that could indicate that you’re overpaying for an investment that you really want to make. Attempt to consider ideas generated by people who you usually dismiss. 6. Fend off familiarity According to Saltzman, familiarity is a two-pronged career-killer. One type of familiarity comes from too much sharing. The other type comes from too much “knowing.” Too much sharing is avoided by keeping the drama away from the workplace. Too much “knowing” is trickier. Certainly giving off the impression of not knowing can be a career-killer. But we also stifle the curiosity needed to advance in our careers if we believe we know all that there is to know. Try new things outside of work, like learning archery, as a way to reconnect with your beginner mindset and regain comfort with less familiarity in situations where your career is not at stake. 7. Avoid behavior bombs Triggers and biases cause us to behave less than optimally by activating our personal behavior bombs. Your triggers might cause you to erupt when confronted by the selfish behavior of others, the feeling of being ignored or falsely accused, or feeling excluded from decision-making. It is important to be curious about and aware of these triggers before they activate your behavior bombs and cause you to destroy your career. Creating “trigger tools” that help you elevate curiosity ahead of criticism, judgment, fear, or complacency allows you to access the trigger before reacting with a behavior bomb. In Living Curiously, Saltzman suggests imagining an electronic dial that you can twist to elevate your curiosity so that you can instantly start reacting to behavior bomb triggers with curiosity instead of emotion. You can reduce the power of these triggers over you and your career. Being aware of these less obvious career killers is the first step in making sure that they don’t blindside you. Understanding how to combat them will ensure that they do not reduce your career mojo. Join Dana Manciagli’s Job Search Master Class right now and immediately access the most comprehensive job search system currently available!

New speaker announced for the International Happiness at Work Conference Jane Barnett-Roberts of John Lewis Partnerships - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

New speaker announced for the International Happiness at Work Conference Jane Barnett-Roberts of John Lewis Partnerships - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Some people think it?s easy for a small company to be happy but hard or impossible for larger organizations. Well, John Lewis Partnership (JLP), a British company that operates department stores and Waitrose Supermarkets is here to show that it is possible. In fact, JLPs ultimate Purpose is ?the happiness of all its members, through worthwhile and satisfying employment.? They achieve this in part by making all employees co-owners (i.e. partners), by sharing profits and by running the company in a democratic way that encourages participation in decision making. Jane Barnett-Roberts is JLP?s Head of Democratic Engagement meaning that she leads a dedicated team who ensure that partners? opinions from around the Partnership are heard and continue to contribute to the overall happiness of Partners. She will bring to life how the Partnership keeps this Purpose relevant and vibrant amongst its 85,000 Partners almost 100 Years after the business was first given away in trust to its employees. See the full conference program and get your tickets here. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related