Is it just commerce or e-commerce?

An Economic Times article, emphasis that IIM graduates rush to join e-commerce companies today. The Indian e-commerce to be worth $20 billion by 2015, recording a 70% growth compared to the previous year.

Anything online years back could only be quoted madness or blasphemy. But the reverse looks to be happening these days.

In the digitally transforming world, nobody wants to pursue an ordinary commerce course rather develop skills that complement the ever evolving world. The hyper speed growth of the online portals today has shifted the mindset of a student, at least for the way they view education and knowledge. The spiraling high rate of online sales has forced the audiences to grab some knowledge of this medium and study it as a part of their conventional course to increased applicability, grow India’s e-commerce market at breakneck speed. This makes India one of the fastest-growing ecommerce markets in Asia-Pacific region.

The B.com degree, until about a decade ago, enjoyed the exclusivity of being the only degree that could be a student’s stepping stone to the world of commerce and business. However, now it’s been replaced by specialized courses which have their defined focus areas for concentrated experience and skill building.

While the commercial world is expanding, it is prudent for colleges to conduct courses that can train students in specific areas instead of conventional and clichéd subjects with zero relevance.

As time passes, India is bound to become one of the largest players in the e-commerce market, even stronger than its present status.

The courses must be put together in a way to facilitate it with job skills, keeping them out of the just “generic” courses matching the human and industry demands.

The evolution from commerce to e-commerce has been gradual yet disruptive. It’s changed the education system on the whole with better pay appetite, new hiring and better profiles offered.

The generic nature of regular B.com made it popular in the first place but the degree now risks being labeled as obsolete due to the availability of specialized courses offered by various colleges and universities.

The introduction of new niche specializations has changed the market scenario for students and aspiring professionals.

A course with its must focus on giving industry exposure should be the norm today. Universities need to have a strong interface with industry to understand and design the curriculum, impart employment-oriented soft skills and ensure proactive placement coordination. The courses must lend ease to the college’s burden of having to modify their syllabus to tackle the industry-academia skills gap.

The top B-schools can do a lot to increase the employability of their graduates than just offer ornamental degrees away.

Why skills win over knowledge?

Are universities and colleges teaching skills needed in technology based economy?

Maybe yes, they teach critical thinking, problem solving, research skills, and encourage original thinking, just the skills needed in today’s work force. But have we ever evaluated if that’s suffice to meet the ever-growing need of skilled professionals in the country?

Our job today is the pure exploration of new knowledge and ideas and pass on the acquired knowledge to the new generation. If any of it rubs off in the commercial world, we are good.

The introduction of specialized courses has sparked a debate as to whether it is more important to make students job-ready or give them a strong academic foundation. Skills have a powerful role play in our professional lives which fills the gap even for knowledge sometimes. Skills win over knowledge to catch up with the professional transitions:

• Skills puts a priority list in place:

The purpose of the skills-led approach is to prioritize and develop transferable skills like knowledge sharing, collaboration and empathy. The content studied is not as important as transferring their skills to any content or text, whether books, articles or multi-modal media.

• Skills people posses enhances their sense of self-worth, security and belonging:
• For many people, the acts of learning and mastering new skills are important in themselves. Possession of skills can be integral to a person’s sense of belonging and self-worth: many people define themselves by what they can “do”, not only in employment but elsewhere in life.

• Skills relate directly to employment decisions & career choices:

Those with relatively few educational qualifications & more learned skills are likely to be better employed and, on average, have good incomes when in work. This affects people’s economic standard of living as well as their security and ability to make choices about their lives. Skills are important for gaining access to services and for understanding and exercising civil and political rights.

• Employers are often looking for skills that go beyond qualifications and experience:

While your education and experience may make you eligible to apply for a job, to be successful in the role you will need to exhibit a mix of skills: ‘employability skills’.  This means that the specialist, technical skills associated with different roles may be less important than the ‘soft skills’ that can be transferred between different jobs and different employment sectors.

For employers, getting the right people means identifying people with the right skills and qualities to fulfill the role and contribute to the organization’s success.  Candidates may have the qualifications and ‘hard skills’ needed to be able to manage the job role but, without a well-honed set of ‘soft skills’, employers are less inclined to hire.

For leaders who are prepared to fill their digital skills gaps and ease the pressure on their companies by ensuring all professionals have a working knowledge of digital, this will be a period of opportunity and growth.

Attributes of New Age Professionals

The Professional Revolution is underway. The professionals leading the revolution have a new vision of work and the way they do focus shifts. Every professional wants to get results, but true fulfillment comes from much more than simply doing a good job. It is about continued learning and evolvement. The ‘new’ professional values work-life balance and job satisfaction as much as career advancement and a hefty paycheck. They are professionally modeling new work and new learning on the job. They not just perfect their existing skills but make good of the technological advancements in the world.

This is all of critical importance as this group is the vanguard of value creation in the new global knowledge economy and therefore has significant implications not just from a business/employer perspective, but also from the broader perspective of public, economic and social policy.

What changes do we see in professionals today?

As the global economy begins to emerge from the Great Recession, it’s becoming even harder to upkeep with the changing technological landscape.

• Professionals are adapting to new realities:

Professionals with unique perspectives and work habits embrace new ways of seeing and doing things that redefine a productive path forward.  They are open to adaptions and they believe in the ‘survival of the fittest’.

• Professionals have the knowledge, passion & innovative mindset to build, grow & revolutionize business:

Professionals today are geared up for new knowledge centers and consistent up gradation. However, new solutions are needed to motivate, align and inspire today’s global professional to ensure continued productivity, growth and a better future for all. Today’s professionals have the skills and innovation mindset that will lead us toward renewed hope and optimism.

• Professionals believe in value creation over money creation:

The Professionals today repose faith in “No Six-Figure Pay, But Making a Difference.” They are largely put at places that involve high risk factor like start-ups & entrepreneurial ventures. They are paid less than half of what they could be making in more traditional settings and companies. These young professionals are choosing to move to cities that may be unknown and companies just getting started. And they are thriving. They place trust in making a career that indicates their value.

• Professionals desire to bring their authentic selves into their work:

They also want to work for a company that mirrors their values and are motivated by the ability to make a difference. To be purpose driven, socially and globally connected, and filled with the excitement of acquired knowledge.

• A new focus on collaboration, community & a sense of purpose:

The professionals today have a new vision of work, socialization and the quest for purpose. They believe in the knowledge that defines them and gives them career freedom. They are ready to dedicate their lives to fomenting radical change. They are prepared to break the law. They, more than others, recognize the fragility of the structures of authority. They are embraced by a vision that makes compromise impossible. Revolution is their full-time occupation. And no revolution is possible without them. Fundamental shifts are transforming the global workforce that requires new solutions to motivate, align and inspire today’s professional to ensure growth and a better future for all.

Bridging the gap between goals and accomplishments- Skill Building for C-level Suite

C-suite succession planning and career development play a critical role in identifying and grooming talented senior executives for future roles, as well as bolstering executive diversity at the highest levels.

In business and companies, we continually deal with unexpected or unanticipated changes. You wake up to find out that a smaller player has miraculously entered the big league within no time and how the market has shifted with a few bids here and there. So the question is how can one handle the change? The challenge that we see in our work is that the senior leaders have over their careers focused on building skills especially the C-suite. This is relevant from their career progression point of view to fill the gap between their set goals and achievements till date.

Many people technology is the single most important force shaping the market now.However the pace of change means that the gap between the skills that senior executives have and the skills that they need is growing. A solid foundation in leading others is an essential first step. An upwardly progressing manager needs to demonstrate experience in effectively using leadership skills to meet business goals.

Specializing in the role itself will not prepare you to move up.  Nor will the information be considered useful in the top ranks.  If your goal is to move into the C-suite, you should be aware of how your department impacts the company, your clients and investors.  To be ahead of the curve, development must move beyond becoming a functional genius.  Rather, keep yourself educated about where your company or industry is headed. To master a skill, one must know how to lead others across a broad spectrum of environments.

As more and more executives become more comfortable with technology, they must also be equipped with relevant skills to strengthen their leadership position and stake. No longer will being the best functional expert in the company lift middle managers into the C-Suite. It’s very important to step out of the clichéd functional roles and step into the front lines of the company to swing to and from with the new tech gear. Keeping in touch with trend setters or industry revolutions to respond to the fluid landscape of customer trends and understand how customers are shifting their demands with the changing technology changes as well. The professionals must learn to identify, advance and build strategies that achieve business objectives. To master this skill, it’s important to keep in touch with the technology changes and grow with it. Future leaders must learn, on their own, what’s happening in the world around them. The single most important thing the c-level executives can do is to take the development of their career into their own hands.

Most professionals are perceived as not understanding the business or lacking in leadership skills by other top executives. They need to be proactive in managing skill sets and knowledge development. No longer is depth of experience in one area or field enough to move up into the C-Suite. Nor will those who take a passive approach to their career ever achieve their goals. Rather, those who are upwardly focused must become job-ready in their own time and through their own initiative with the right skill sets. Get to know the fundamentals of business and expand your horizons beyond technology.

Most generally the C-suite level does not have sufficient technical and digital know-how to make effective decisions. All senior level jobs are technology and data driven. There’s a critical need to address this skills gap and make career advancement a possibility for the top-notch professionals. What’s the solution to solving this talent shortage? Build it organically. Don’t necessarily focus less on technical skills, but start looking to build the entrepreneurial qualities that smart, successful business owners possess.

Real Education,not Degrees:

There is an acute real education crisis meaning the college degrees serve as unnecessary pieces of paper.

At a juncture when the percentage of employers facing difficulty in finding skilled workforce is 48 per cent in India, one wonders what it that we are turning out from our universities and colleges. India the youngest country in the world, if the percentage is 48 per cent, it is an alarming situation because it means that half of our companies and businesses are finding it difficult to run their daily operations due to the lack of skilled workforce. These are pointers to the nature and efficiency of our education system. Against this, the job market is increasingly being redefined by specific skills. The entire skills set required to work in a company that competes at the global level has undergone change, and education, particularly Higher Education, cannot afford to overlook the new realities of the 2nd decade of the 21st century.

The radically overstated size of the college market stays unemployed even in times of near full employment. Substantial shares” of college-educated workers are “overeducated,” or “malemployed”. Mal-employment, arguing the reality is that more and more college graduates are stuck in low-wage, low-skill jobs.

The evidence on earnings and college degrees is unequivocal. Employers continue to demand better-educated employees, and are willing to pay more to get them. We agree there is some mismatch between college curricula and career opportunities. The bachelor’s degrees are a testament to our failure to connect college programs to career pathways, but they do not signal overproduction of college degrees in general. Yet in spite of the growing economic advantage of college degrees, the overproduction, over-qualification or “malemployed” school of thought still has a strong following. The overproduction of degree holders get more traction in hard times when the most highly educated are unemployed or underemployed.  With many college graduates unsuccessful in finding work, the temptation to reject postsecondary education as a viable economic option grows more tempting; especially among working families where college costs are always a stretch.

The job and skill requirements are dynamic. Technology and other economic forces are constantly updating the skill requirements in jobs.  We view a college job as any job that brings substantial, positive earnings returns to a college degree, irrespective of occupation.The economy and employment are like a game of musical chairs where opportunity is limited by a very small and fixed set of college jobs, many fewer than the economy’s college graduations.

The standard explanation for those shifts is a concept called “skill-biased technology change.”  The core mechanism behind this is that information technology automates repetitive tasks, increasing the relative value of non-repetitive tasks in individual occupations.   The relentless engine of technological change, spurred onwards by global competition, drives up skill requirements and demand for postsecondary education and training within occupations—all occupations, not just “professional, technical, managerial and educational.”

Unfortunately, education has come to be defined as acquisition of skills that would aid in chasing tokens and that half a mark here and there can have a deep impact on your life. Strangely, some of the very famous and essential things that define India are sustained by people who have sensibilities and skills that are outside the formal education system.

The country is advancing with latest technology. Hence; real education is actually the values as well as the skill one is good at or possesses and not just a formal degree or a certification from a university. Real education is getting a holistic education helping oneself not only an intellectually capable individual but the ones that are skilled.Education connect us with world but it is not about to earn degree and became product of this market. A degree does not show your caliber but your attitude, behavior, conscience ultimately labeled you educated or uneducated.

So when the word education is taken to mean a degree, it stands to reason that one can’t expect all the ‘educated’ to be liberal. Our curriculum is theory based but nothing more than that. Besides, it is almost completely rote-based. I am generalizing here, but this is the story by and large. Would this kind of ‘education’ ever make for a thinking mind?

These are all good theories, but the problem with the unemployability of these young adults goes way beyond a lack of STEM skills. Hence, the idea is to propagate “real education” based course over “counterfeited college degrees”.

Employability of graduates coming out of our educational system is becoming a matter of great concern. Only 25 per cent of the graduates across all streams have employable skills.

Essential skills for all Jobs: Bridging the digital divide for better employability

There is an acute real education crisis meaning the college degrees serve as unnecessary pieces of paper.At a juncture when the percentage of employers facing difficulty in finding skilled workforce is 48  percent in India, one wonders what it that we are turning out from our universities and colleges. These are pointers to the nature and efficiency of our education system. Against this, the job market is increasingly being redefined by specific skills. The entire skills set required to work in a company that competes at the global level has undergone change, and education, particularly Higher Education, cannot afford to overlook the new realities of the 2nd decade of the 21st century.

Digital resources are scant and would need immediate action to bring about complete transformation in the digital culture of companies.So you want a job in social media which has the maximum number of job opportunities, there are a number of areas of knowledge, skills and attributes that you need to possess. A few skills that might work well upon all stem jobs are as under:

1. An urge to learn with the digital changes:

Keeping on top of the latest changes and trends in the social media world can be a massive task, but the fact is that you need to know what is happening and why. This is not a fixed pay job to be done; you need to be switched on! Read blogs, follow the right people on social media platforms and interact online and offline. Keeping up to date on social media and digital shifts in the industry will make the change resistant tendencies to move towards better growth.

2. Content writing ability:

What is social media based around? Communication. Social media allows businesses to communicate with customers, prospects and wider ranging stakeholders. If you can’t write you can’t communicate. You need to be able to write in different styles, tones and of course in an appropriate manner for the different social media outlets. Your writing has to be highly adaptable so pick examples from across industries and sectors.

3. SEO knowledge:

Search Engine Optimization is a huge area that is an expertise in itself. You need to have a strong understanding of how social media affects search engine rankings. And of course, you need to know how to work some SEO magic into your writing. Keyword research, use, linking so on and so forth. Bear it in mind and start working SEO reading in to your learning.

4. Technical skills:

Anyone need not be a technical geek but the basic nitty-gritty is a must. Many can’t encode, or struggles to change image sizes. However, it’s good to use a number of blog CMS, Facebook pages and basic optimization to a web page. The very basic points are good for a user to know and interacting with the social media platforms. Also, how to work with the technical geniuses to make sure what you are creating is working from a user experience point of view.

5. Marketing acumen:

SM is just another channel of digital marketing. Focusing on only SM could lead to missed opportunities or a reduced overall skill-set. Ignoring the fundamentals would be a bad move. Digital marketing combined with traditional marketing is the key. Consumer perspective into consideration should be a real focus for you.

6. Analytical skills:

Social media use will throughout a number of facts, figures and indeed stats. You need to be able to identify the ones that offer true value and allow you to build a picture of the success of your work. When you have worked out the best metrics for your activity, you need to be able to pull them all together, analyze the heck out of them and then work them in to a presentable output. Learn how your results can be used to mould future activity.

7. Entrepreneurial potential :

The perceived value of social media is higher than ever, this is due to strong case-studies that show real success. Despite this, people in many businesses still struggle to see the value or quiver at the thought of opening up their brand to the social media masses. Illustrate why the social media space is right for them and ultimately change their mindset. With the right preparation, knowledge and drive, it can be a whole lot easier

This is some food for thought for anyone that is looking to work in a role that involves social media. Most companies naturally recruit professionals to fill positions that rely heavily on hop scorching through the digital social realm.

Can Social Media act as the career kick starter?

A grave concern about the status of the education system in the country is full of ambiguity and falling out of the employability context giving away expensive paper degrees and outdated teaching methods which are only good for turning intelligent people into zombies, jobless.With the quality of education in the colleges, there is simply no room for creativity or high-quality experience.  Day by day it is becoming very difficult to find graduates with the right skill set for business within the changing digital culture.We need to bridge the gap between education and work as simple as that. We need to ensure that the education goes beyond the classroom. Education should be about empowering people to gain employable skills and should be easily done through customized courses with Social Media as its focus area. The courses that have its focal point around training which delivers value in terms of good jobs and making students more capable to be taken in by big companies is the preference for students.

A focus on skill training/development as against university degrees would help to increase employability in today’s volatile market.Employability is about much more than just getting your first job – it’s about having a grand image and presenting yourself successfully, both as a new graduate and throughout your life. You can’t rely on your degree alone to automatically open doors after you graduate.There are some basic fundamentals that every professional needs to master in order to succeed in and enjoy his/her professional life. A vast majority of professionals today have not received the training, information, understanding or knowledge they need to ensure they’ll remain on a positive track and build a career that will be fruitful, productive and successful as the years go on.

Employers are therefore seeking graduates who are enterprising, resourceful and adaptable and who, as well as their degree, possess a range of skills which can be used in a wide variety of settings as well as in their careers. These are known as employability skills.

Employability is not rocket science, its common sense. The best way to develop employability skills and qualities, of course, is to keep evolving with the changing in the business world especially with the outbreak of social media revolution.In the cyber age, when internet has become imperative for every corporate in the country, India is facing a dearth of trained professionals in the digital sector primarily.

Currently we are seeing an awkward generation joining companies across the globe. They have acquired the technical skills and qualifications to secure work but not the soft skills they need to succeed. The industry cannot operate without the skilled people.Roughly one quarter (23%) believe that a lack of digital skills could force them out of a job or restrict the chances for future earnings in five years time. This is despite the fact that 43% believe they do not have to up skill to remain part of the digital revolution.While traditional media professionals with years of experience grappling to understand the vibrant medium, aspirants seeking jobs in this lucrative and booming industry are ill-equipped, due to the lack of organized and focused training. The wide range of skill sets and positions within Digital Media also makes it a promising field for job opportunities. Driven by increased internet penetration, wireless broadband and mobile technology, consumers and businesses are increasingly shifting their attention from the traditional marketing media.With the way digital is growing, there is ample growth opportunity for professionals in this sector, if they get the right training and empowerment.With the continued exponential growth in social media, keeping up with constant changes is a challenge. Not only for businesses of all sizes recruiting talent, but also for professionals who are trying to stay up to date with all the platforms and the best way to use them.

Why choose Social Media Sciences over the extravagant courses offered today?

Postgraduate study is not necessarily built on the skills acquired at undergraduate degree level but on competencies, interest areas and existing market opportunities. The pursuit of any form of study to enhance future career prospects is a gamble, but by engaging with the available opportunities, it can also be a worthy investment. As the possibility of unemployment looms for many, more than 500,000 each year choose to pursue further study in the form of a postgraduate program such as a master’s. The motivation behind this decision is often related to belief that a higher-level qualification will result in a better job. But does the CV addition of a CA, CS or MBA or any related or unrelated professional course actually improve employment prospects?

As per a news article in Deccan Herald published on the 25th Dec’14, The State government will soon conduct a survey to ascertain the reasons for the dwindling number of applicants for MBA courses in the recent years. A strange situation, however, prevails throughout the country with a number of MBA colleges being shut in the last five years, according to All India Council for Technical Education. Getting a job you want is about more than just a qualification nowadays. Continuing education is clearly important, but the value of a master’s degree depends on what you do with it. Often, though, postgraduate study can be about changing direction rather than specializing, and social media sciences can enhance career options. A master’s program can also be a significant way of networking to secure later employment opportunities. But the question is that all we want? Dedicating a year to a subject is advantageous, but it takes more than that alone to improve employability. Use this opportunity to deepen your understanding of the space, market and opportunities in the social media avenues to transfer into a complete professional. Just another course is not a guarantee for a successful career; it’s only an evidence to have reached another level of education. It’s undoubtedly considered be hale just a most sought-after graduate degree but the same expensive generalized program can make it difficult to stand out in a huge crowd of pass outs. A degree is not valuable without relevant job skills; it must enhance chances for better job opportunities.MBA is quite general in nature as far as the course curriculum is concerned. Hence, if you are willing to delve into a specific area, MBA isn’t a good option. Any knowledge seeker must never stop learning as we know it’s a growing process. These courses have a humongous cost to be paid; therefore its inability to get a good job is as good as deterrence.

Social media jobs are growing with time & can provide an edge in career pursuits. It’s evolved into an often-essential practice for companies across industries. It’s become quite critical to embrace the power of social media networks and build a digitally enlightened society. There’s a spiraling rise in social media jobs more so because they form an essential part of any company but there’s an ever growing dearth of people who are professionally trained in the relevant skill sets and deliver results as per the changing scenario. The growth of social media will fuel the creation of new jobs across various employment categories. Working in social media can be an exciting and challenging career for anyone and everyone, ambitious of a potentially growth oriented career shift. However, it’s essential to acquire the skills and knowledge that employers are seeking. By developing the social media expertise, top companies are looking for professionals that can boost their credentials and provide an edge the working members to advance in their current positions or switch to a new career path. mid-career professionals seeking to re-enter the workforce may find it advantageous to gain these increasingly sought-after social media skills.

Social media seems to be the current buzz term that dominates job and career strategies. Slowing economic growth seems to have taken its toll on another profession—chartered accountancy. Fewer companies are recruiting chartered accountants, or CA, whose job spans auditing and accounting, tax advice and financial planning and has traditionally been a rewarding career. The job scenario for fresh CA’s, CS’s and MBA’s has been clouded by the economic slowdown. There is a direct correlation of placements with the country’s economy. On the contrary many social Media opportunities abound to increase competitive advantage, converting into skilled market leader and also generating numerous employment opportunities in this digital era of working professionals.

a humongous cost to be paid; therefore its inability to get a good job is as good as deterrence.

Why digital skills are a must for the next job you seek regardless of your profession?

Can you understand and drive digital strategies? If not it’s time to learn how, because in our increasingly digital lives almost every job now has a digital element to it. That’s why digital skills have become a necessity for anyone looking for their next job. We all live in a digital world and whether we like it or not, most of us now work in digital jobs. The digital revolution has touched the lives of virtually every consumer and business around the globe. As a result digital strategy – and along with it digital literacy – is growing in importance.From CEOs assessing the threat of cyber crime to marketers looking for the latest trending platforms, digital skills are now needed at all levels in most job functions.For example, rather than customer service representatives in call centers, today we see more live chat attendants who will interact with customers online and on social media. And rather than traditional sales forecasts, today people are using big data to make more precise predictions.Even today’s senior manager needs digital expertise to be able to locate knowledge, assess how valid it is, and then work with others to determine what to do with it. For job seekers to take advantage of this new jobs growth, it is important to continuously update your digital skills. Regardless of the profession or industry you work in, organizations want to recruit, retain and develop digital skills across their entire business.In recognition of this new digital age, education systems need to adapt. All jobs now have a digital element. Given the fast pace of technological advancement, employers look for candidates who are open to change and can adapt to a constantly evolving digital environment – whether that’s in their marketing, accountancy or logistics department. Digital changes are impacting all aspects of business and candidates today need to show they are digitally proficient, up-to-date with the latest technological advances related to their job function and industry, and possess the ability to lean into the changes of a digital world.

     

In the war for digital talent, the statistic stands out with an alarming 90% of companies lacking digital skills. That statistic alone should spur even the most apathetic of organizations into action. However, many are not heeding the warning signs. This is a surprising and worrying trend, particularly given that skills are so key to success in the new digital economy. Innovation is also a concern. Many organizations continue to lean on traditional methods to build skills, such as recruitment drives and training. This conservatism is surprising given the success stories that exist. Wal-Mart and Nike are some of the examples. Innovation does not need to stop with acquisition and incubation. The initiative was to scale up Internet marketing initiatives, and enable cross-pollination of skills. Even the skill-sets and DNA of today’s talent are changing. Today, and increasingly so in the future, technical talent will need to speak the language of the business while business professionals must have a complete understanding of IT, way beyond a vague grasp of the right acronyms. The quest for such “hybrid professionals” is already underway. Building these new talent pools requires a new approach. It’s a different battle-ground and a fierce one, not least because of the chronic shortage of digital talent.