Worried about jobs in the recession-hit scenario? Just improve your English communication and job placement skills to succeed in the global economy, says a Harvard-educated soft skills trainer.
You're Hired: How to Get That Job and Keep It Too by Nasha Fitter is a practical step-by-step guide especially for Indian job contexts and situations from the context of the countrys youth.
So next time you apply for a job and are not called for the interview, don't be discouraged. This book is all you need to take for your first important steps up the corporate ladder, the teacher, entrepreneur, communication expert and soft skill trainer claims.
Fun and easy-to-follow, this book, published by Penguin, uses actual CVs, emails and resumes in showing how communication and soft skills errors prevent people from getting ahead and how they can be avoided.
"This is not a difficult book with unnecessary amounts of information. It is designed to help you speak and write better English in the shortest time possible," writes Nasha, currently working for Microsoft Corporation in Washington, where she focuses on efforts to improve education in emerging markets across India. "To get a good job in todays competitive work environment, you have to be an effective communicator.
Effective communication has many aspects, but the foundation is English grammar. Bad grammar is one of the reasons why HR managers reject candidates looking for jobs," she says.
Nasha describes her book as an "all-in-one guide to help you speak better English, prepare for interviews, and dress and act professionally".
To make her book more effective and customised, the author has analysed her students writings, emails and spoken English to find the most common mistakes made in India. Then, using simplified English grammar and other communication rules, she explains these mistakes and gives alternatives.
The book is divided into four sections. The first section is about English grammar, the second pronunciation, the third section deals with interpersonal skills and personality building and the fourth is about job placement skills and professional etiquette like dressing, greetings, telephone conversation and conduct at interviews.
Nasha says that introducing oneself as "Hi, myself X" can virtually end the dream of an applicant.
"In Hindi, some of the pronouns we use are: main, tu, aap, hum and woh. One major difference between Hindi pronouns and English pronouns is that in Hindi you change the verb following the pronoun to indicate gender (main gaya). In English, we don't change the verb depending on the gender (went remains the same regardless of 'he' or 'she'). Thus, when using most English pronouns (I, me), there is no way to tell the gender at all. It's only when we use pronouns like she, he, her and him do we learn what gender the speaker is referring to," writes the author.
(PTI)
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