Office Etiquettes

Politeness and proper decorum are not outdated issues in the workplace of the '90s---according to Paula K. Morning, an independent business consultant and director of development for the SOS Community Crisis Centre in Ypsilanti. Take charge of what is yours, maintain proper decorum at all times and always treat others the way you want to be treated. Here are some office etiquettes that one can follow.
Punctuality

To be on time is very important especially if you have an appointment. It shows that you respect the time of your colleagues and in turn it will compel them to respect your time too. Always keep in mind that ‘Time and tide wait for no one’.

Stay Away From Gossip

It can cause a lot of unnecessary stress which should be avoided at all costs. You would not want someone to gossip about you and neither will the next person. In some cases, if the source of some malicious gossip can be traced back to you, then your job can be in jeopardy or at least your reputation and respect.
Be Polite

You must not be loud in the professional work environment, be soft while you are on the phone or while talking to a colleague. If you have received a personal call on your mobile phone then walk down to the corridor to take the call. Taking care of this will show that you respect the work that your colleagues are doing by not disturbing them with your loudness.
Avoid Strong Perfumes

If you use strong perfumes, you can end up suffocating the entire place with your perfume which is closed and the air conditioners do not provide solutions to this. Moreover, I would also advice you to avoid bring strong smelling lunch like fish to office especially if you are planning to have it at your desk.

Say Sorry

Accept your mistake if you are wrong. Accepting your mistake will not make you vulnerable to any danger rather it will make you respectable in others’ eyes. Your work will also become unstained with the passage of time.

Dress Properly

Many offices have a predefined dress code that has to be followed very strictly. However, if you do have the privilege of working at a place which does not define a dress code, then it is up to you to dress appropriately. Office is not a party place and you will have to dress in a way that commands respect both from your colleagues and clients.

Be Regular

People should see you in office. Too many offs would show your unimportance at office. The work may also suffer on the other hand. This habit is a real threat to your job as well.

Always Remain Fresh

Do not show your feelings and expressions of what is happening outside the office. Office is not the place where you should want others to sympathize with you. What has happened in your house or with your friends or in university has nothing to do with the office.

Ask Before Borrowing

If you are at good terms with your colleague then it may appear alright if you borrowed a stapler or a marker from their desk without asking. Well, the fact of the matter is that it is not alright. It is imperative that you ask and then borrow. This attitude of yours will ensure that people also treat your things with the same respect and your things are not missing (read borrowed) when you get back to your seat after a meeting.

These are just some basic etiquette that you can follow in a professional work environment. However, it is more important to ensure that to behave decently and courteously. I truly believe that if you treat people in the way that you would like them to treat you, then it is more than half the battle won and people usually end up respecting to equally.

Email at : adeeb.hassan@hotmail.com

Why and how friendships are broken?

I have been seeing people for times becoming worst enemies from good friends but never got enough feelings to feel the pain of that broken relationship. This may be because of my nature about which some of my friends say that I am an emotionless person almost. But now I have pondered over the reasons of broken friendships and I have experienced some of them too.

But as we proceed, we have to categorize the classes in which friendships can fall. These may be,

·         Emotional friends

·         Professional friends

·         Social friends and 

·         Just friends

The most which I like are the emotional friends. These are the real friends which one can have. These friends have a perfect mindset and understanding with you, the thoughts are compatible and the issues are the same and sharing of problems is on the higher end. Always seen as one and always treated as the same by others.

Professional friends are the people you know in good terms due to the same field. Accountants know many accountants; doctors are buddies with doctors and businessmen are friends with businessmen etc. Social friends are friends of the internet, entertainment clubs etc. The remaining are ‘just friends’ and include people whom you meet after a long time and remember them, your old school or college fellows to whom you never spoke at that time.

All these relations can be broken but the pain lies under the breaking of the emotional friendship. I, some days back, received a mobile message which goes like ‘Always take care of your friends because when friendship is broken, it doesn’t make noise.’ And this is true; we only can feel the broken relationships.

Reasons of friendship ending may be finding of some new friends and forming a new group and trying to depart the old group.

Change in financial position may be another reason. Not an important one, but still very applicable and this supports the saying of Hazrat Ali (R.A.) that (meaning not exact words) on getting wealthy, people are not changed but exposed.

Sense of deprivation is the most heinous and devastating reason which a friend may find to cut himself off from others. A person might think that is inferior to other friends in the group and may want to leave them.

Ignoring others may be a factor which initiates the feeling of being ignored and that may become a point of separation of friends. Respect can be earned when we give proper respect to others.

Harsh and violent joking may provoke some other person which may lead to the conclusion of the friendship in a negative manner. This should not be the case as we have to respect the feelings of the other. Moreover, we should see where the other person is feeling annoyed and should stop ourselves at the same point. This is the problem which most close friends always face. I am also much frightened by this as I still have not found any solution to this as if I say anyone to stop, they would say that we are joking and when some bad event occurs, we cannot reverse ourselves to the earlier positions. We should make in mind that friendship is diamond and brother-relation is gold. When there is extra heating on diamond or a crack in diamond, it is reduced to nothing. But gold becomes purer if the same thing happens to it. A point of disrespect when comes to heart cannot be forgotten, a thread when broken can be joined but with a knot only and same is true in case of friendship.

Friends should have respect among one another and this is the only reason to be friends for life. Remember that you do not have to retain emotional friends as you may want to retain professional friends. Retaining a friendship means that your hearts or minds are not compatible with each other but you have to keep up with the other person due to some reasons which are mostly personal gains. The professional friendship is mostly based on mutual benefits and interests, whereas the emotional friendship is based purely on the acceptability of each other by heart.

adeeb.hassan@hotmail.com

How to write a CV...Facts uncovered

There are two main styles of presenting a CV:

1.      Chronological CVs are traditional; they list previous employers and job roles with them in detail, and are suited to professionals who have a formal history of experience.

2.      Functional or skills CVs are better suited to contractors, graduates, people who have moved around a lot or taken time out to pursue charity work or similar activities. They are also useful when making a complete career change i.e. from finance to IT. These types of CVs are more descriptive and focus more on skills and direct experience.

How long should your CV be?

The overwhelming opinion from recruiters is that a single summary page and a secondary page with employment history and education details perfectly makes good sense.

For professionals, I recommend a combination of the two - a skills-based summary page, followed by a chronology of experience.

The summary page

All modern CVs now include a summary page. Remember that the recruiters may have received many CVs for a single position, and can find it tiresome to go through pages in detail, often glossing over the important bits and ruling out your chances for an interview.

The summary page is a chance to make an impact, and it gives you a chance to show off your personality and personal attributes. If it is well presented and articulate, it will speak for itself.

Begin by including your contact details, letterhead style.

Profile This is a descriptive overview of your professional profile. It occupies most of the summary page and consists of three key elements:

1. A descriptive introduction of your professional designation (e.g. a Management Accountant or web designer), backed up by key features of your professional self, and also including your immediate ambitions. Ideally this should be punchy, precise and no more than three (15-word) sentences.

2. Key skills, listed as bullet points. Eight points are sufficient; make sure they're relevant to the particular position and concisely written.

3. Achievements: these should be presented in the same manner as skills, although about three significant achievements are enough.

Experience The next important part of your CV is your most recent or relevant work experience. The manner in which this is presented depends on which CV type you choose to use. Either way, you should leave enough space on the summary page to include at least the most important outline of your experience. The rest of your experience can follow on page two.

Note: Try not to clutter the summary page with too much detail. Clear use of bullet points and white space should effectively draw attention to a handful of key points that will prompt the recruiter to read on or even confirm an interview.

The Contents The rest of the CV should ideally be no longer than two pages, although professionals with a long career history will need more.

The three sections are:

• Secondary experience

• Qualifications

• Personal summary

In order to squeeze everything in you're going to have to be ruthless. Qualifications and previous work experience that is unlikely to make a significant impact should be left out.

For instance, a complete list of Matric or O/A Levels is not necessary if you've subsequently gone on to complete an MBA. Likewise full details of early job roles won't be read if you've made a career change, or if subsequent positions you've held have included far more important responsibilities.

Here are some details that you can leave out:

• Details of jobs held more than 10 years ago

• Minute details of more recent jobs

• Reasons for leaving a previous job

• Current and past salaries

• Failed examinations

• Nationality and age

• Details of referees

• Full details of hobbies and interests

Work experience This follows on directly from the summary page. Ideally you should aim to squeeze the details of your current or most important recent position onto the summary page, the rest can follow on the second page.

Job title Using the official title may be misleading, therefore consider rewording it to more accurately describe your role.

The responsibilities section This is clearly the most important section and will require some clever use of words to keep it brief yet informative. Use bullet points and remember that the aim is simply to catch the recruiter's attention. Elaboration can take place in the interview.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Avoid specific terminology

• Clearly state what you were accountable for

Qualifications This section should be quite brief, outlining only your most recent qualifications and any courses which are relevant to the new role.

Your highest professional qualification is the most important one (i.e. degree) and should be listed first. You may want to follow this with professional courses (e.g. Marketing management diploma), and reserve your secondary level qualifications (e.g. 'A' levels) for last. Details of older qualifications should be left out. Any other relevant courses can be listed below this.

PC skills These have become an integral part of business management, and most office-based jobs for that matter. It is worth listing software with which you are proficient.

Layout The name of the qualification should always be mentioned first, thereafter the order is usually determined by the most efficient use of space. Juggling long words is often necessary to optimise the use of each line. Remember to remain consistent.

Interests and additional information Mentioning personal interests may be an unnecessary waste of space and annoy the reader unless they are likely to show relevant skills which are relevant to your professional profile. Recruiters often take a glancing look at CV summaries for any other useful information.

If you feel that your interests show that you are a responsible person, show them.

Customising your CV Each time you apply for a job your CV should be customised to suit that position. This requires assessing the position you are applying for and identifying the key strengths which you can apply to the role.

Starting with the personal profile, eliminate those strengths which are unlikely to appeal to the specific employer, and then elaborate one or two key areas, particularly experience which is most relevant to the new role. Showing that you've done your homework about a company will certainly impress, and this is where you reveal that.

The work experience section of your CV is going to need the most work. Minimise previous roles that are not similar to the new job, and elaborate on the responsibilities which are likely to show your suitability for the new position.

The manner in which your CV is presented is a direct reflection on your own standards of professionalism. 

Student Politics in Pakistan

Introduced in the era of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, student politics have played a vital role in the demolition of basis of education system in Pakistan. Taking the students to such a path from where almost no return is possible, student unions have also perished the moral, ethical and religious values of our educational society.

Before student unions were banned by the Zia-ul-Haq dictatorship in 1984, their activities were conducted through regular annual elections in universities and colleges. Student political parties that participated in these elections afterwards became gangster groups which mainly include All Pakistan Mohajir Students Federation (APMSO) and Islami-Jamiat-Tulaba (IJT).

Prime Minister Gillani removed the ban on student unions in his first speech to the parliament in 2008 and since then the increasing violence in the educational institutes is being witnessed again. Students unions are supposed to work peacefully and their main motive should be to protect the rights of students, but the fact is that political parties are using these unions to strengthen their grip in campuses. All the major public universities are held hostages in the hands of these unions, who enjoy the support of political parties, which could be PPP, JI, PML or MQM. Strengthening student unions may help our political government (which is not the case in Pakistan) but it is not only destroying the environment of the institutes but also wasting the valuable time of students. Allowing student unions gave a way to arms and violence in the campuses. There is no age limit for the leaders of the unions; this is the reason why the same old faces are seen in the campuses for years.

The idea of unions, as mentioned earlier, is of PPP. If we analyse the voters’ statuses of different political parties, we may see a rough categorization at least. The voters of PPP are mostly the illiterate people, the voters of PML (N) are mostly the educated and the people who can understand the issues of Pakistan, the voters of MQM are mostly the racist people. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto introduced the concept with the thinking that there are many immature and amateur college students who are all in all in their houses and many of them are the most educated and are considered the most intelligent persons in their families. So, he focussed on these students and made them also to convince their families to vote for PPP. Bhutto knew that other unions will not be as successful as PPP student union. Why? Because literate persons mostly were not influenced by the thinking and agendas of PPP and the thought in later years also proved correct. Bhutto proved true and we noticed that other unions were not much successful except Islami-Jamiat-Tulaba (IJT).

Having a student union may prove a good thing, but when we quote the example of the unions of foreign countries, we should keep in mind that they are independent and free of any political party affiliation.

Seeing the other side, all the student unions in Pakistan are either affiliated to some political party and/or are part of the youth wing of a political party. This means implanting the top-level corrupt, selfish and killing politics to the level of students. The students who are part of these unions, in majority, are not even willing to qualify the programme for which they registered themselves in college or university. It is a fact that most students join unions because of the power the unions possess, the power that enables students to bully others, teaches them to become leader of nobody and get away with it, the power that allows them to pass the exams without having to open the books, the power of weapons which they can use to demand respect and the power to destroy the roots of our education system.

The solution is either to regularize the unions like the foreign countries do or to ban them.

Indian Budget 2010-2011 has arrived.....Can we expect at least the same kind in Pakistan?

HIGHLIGHTS OF INDIAN BUDGET 2010-2011

• Net gains from indirect taxes Rs 46,500 Crores.
• Account auditing for all income above Rs 15 lacs.
• Rationalisation of customs duty on gaming software..
• Toys exempted from excise duty, to become cheaper....
• Online news agencies to attract service tax......
• Service Tax rates unchanged but more services to be brought under tax net.....
• Customs duty on Gold and Platinum hiked.
• Excise duty on solar panels waived...
• Jewellery to be more expensive......
• CDs to be cheaper......
• Mobile phones to become cheaper.........
• Refrigerators, TVs and ACs, cigarettes and cement to be costlier......
• Peak customs duty unchanged at 10%.
• Excise duty on petrol and diesel raised to Rs 1/litre.
• 5% duty on crude petroleum restored......
• Excise on all non smoking tobacco raised.
• 7.5% duty on petrol and diesel restored.
• Excise on large cars,SUVs, MUV raised to 22%.
• Partial rollback in Excise Duty from 10% to 8%.
• Presumptive tax limit raised to Rs 60 lacs.
• Deduction of Rs 20,000 on investment in infra bonds.
• Weighted deduction on R&D raised to 200% from 150%.
• No tax on Income up to Rs 1.6 lacs.
• Minimum Alternate tax hiked to 18%
• 30% tax on income above Rs 8 lacs.
• 20% tax on income between Rs5 lacs to 8 lacs.
• 10% tax on income between Rs1.6 lacs to 5 lacs.
• FY11 net market borrowings pegged at Rs 3.45 lac Cr.
• IT surcharge withdrawn.
• FY10 budget deficit seen at 6.9% of GDP.
• 20 Kms of highway to be constructed everyday.
• FY12 fiscal deficit target at 4.8%.
• FY13 fiscal deficit target at 4.1%.
• Fiscal deficit target of 5.5% in FY11.
• More than 50% increase in funds for minority welfare.
• 15% rise in planned expenditure.
• Govt to set up National Mission for delivery of justice.
• Defence capex raised to Rs 60000 Cr.
• Gross tax receipts of Rs 7.46 Lac Cr.
• Allocation fund to defence raised to Rs 1.47 lac Cr.
• Skill development programme for textile sector.
• Home loans up to Rs 20 lacs to get intrest subvention of 1% up to March 11.
• Government to contribute Rs 1000 per month for pension security.
• Rs 5400 Cr. allocated for urban development.
• Rs 66100 Cr. allocated for rural development.
• Rs 2400 Cr. for MSMEs.
• Pvt. sector to meet food grain storage deficit.
• Rs 100 Cr. woman farmer fund scheme.
• Rs 1,900 Cr. allocated for UID project.
• Social Security Fund to have corpus of over Rs 1000 Cr.
• National Social Security fund for unorganised workers.
• Intrest subvention for housing loans up to 1 lacs.
• Allocation Package of Rs 1200 Cr. assistance for drought in Bundelkhand.
• NREGA scheme allocation raised to Rs 41000 Cr.
• Budget Allocation to health Rs 22,300 Cr.
• Spend to funds on 'Social Sector' of Rs 1.38 lakh Cr.
• Allocation fund to school education from Rs.26,800 Cr. to Rs.31,036 Cr.
• Allocation fund to power sector of Rs 5130 Cr.
• Allocation fund Rs.200 Cr. for Tamilnadu textile sector.
• Established clean energy fund.
• 25% of plan allocation for rural infrastructure.
• Allotment for renewable energy hiked by 61%.
• Setup Coal regulatory authority.
• Road development hiked to Rs 19894 Cr.
• Rs 1.73 lakh Cr. which is 46% of total plan outlay, reserved for infrastructure development.
• 2% loan subsidy to farmers.
• Farm credit targets increased to Rs 3.75 lakh Cr.
• Payment of Farm loan extended for six months.
• Interest subvention of 2% extended for handicrafts and SMEs.
• Allocation of Rs 3000 Cr. for agricultural impetus.
• Rs 165,000 Cr. additional for bank re-capitalisation.
• Interest subvention for exports, extended for one year.
• Chances of banking licenses to Pvt cos and NBFCs from RBI.
• Foreign direct Investment (FDI) policy to made more user friendly
• Reduce to 'Fertilizer Subsidy'.
• Target of divestment Rs 25,000 Cr.
• GST will implement from 2011
• Plan to implement 'Direct Tax Code' from April 2011
• Strategy to exit for fiscal stimulus
• Review to stimulus packages.
• Significant private investment inflow expected to boost GDP
• Economy can achieve GDP growth of 10%
• Established that FY 2009-10 was a challenging year
• Need to improve food security and healthcare systems
• Indian economy in far better position than last year

Mobile Phone Etiquettes

Mobile phone etiquettes are about following some simple guidelines of common courtesy when using a cell phone in public, designed to make public places more enjoyable for all or using it in a meeting whether it is casual or formal.

Chances are, you've been annoyed at one point or another by someone not practicing proper cell phone etiquette. The man or woman talking loudly into mobile offends those forced to listen to it which is worth nothing to them. Some people sometimes enjoy the practice of listening and making mockery of other person talking into cell phone but most people are really annoyed. Private conversations, arguments, details about how a meeting went, or intimate knowledge of what's in a stranger's refrigerator at home are all things unwilling for other persons and they can even do better without these details irrelevant for them.

Aside from loud and un-concerned conversations, obnoxious ringtones provide regular disruptions to other people. The ambiance of restaurants and cafes must now compete with ringing phones and one-sided conversations. Another issue is what is done by the drivers. They talk and drive, they text of cell and driver, they hit and they cause damage then. A sense of deprivation is prevailing in the minds of our people and we try to impress other people by just looking busy.

The issue also remains when we call someone for meeting and still don’t pay attention to them and continues to send messages to some other. In my personal opinion, the person who is physically present deserves more time and more attention than the person who is not present in between.

Some people have gotten so fed up with rude mobile phone users they have turned to illegal mobile phone jammers. These devices knock cell phone users off their lines and prevent a reconnection with the cell tower until the user wanders out of range.

Cell phone can be used in ethical manner if we follow the following rules at the minimum.

1. When there are people around you and you cannot answer the call in isolation, leave the call and let go the call to voice mail. If it is urgent, roll over to the place where no one can listen to you. It is a polite manner.

2. Phones should not be answered at the places where other people may be disturbed. For keeping the record of missed calls, either turn the mobile phone to vibration mode or activate missed call notifications.

3. Keeping the voice low is a true symbol of a gentleman. While talking on cell phone, keep your tone low and your voice straight i.e. without any emotions.

4. Maintain a reasonable distance from the person nearest to you while talking on phone. Make sure that no one is listening to what are you talking about on phone.

5. Details are not essential. Keep your conversation short to a minimum.

6. It looks odd, proud and selfish attending the call and leave the one to whom you were talking earlier. The person in front of you deserves more than the person calling you. If it is an emergency call, excuse yourself before taking the call.

7. It is better to make a phone call later rather than never been able to make a call. Talking while driving is illegal and should not be practiced. While you are on road, not only you but other persons may also suffer due to you.

8. Cell phones should be kept off while at mourning places or quiet places like library, meeting rooms etc. Moreover, ringing cell phones may disqualify you in job interviews and presentations.

9. Do not wear Bluetooth devices or headphones while speaking to others. Other people may not know if you are really listening to them or the phone, which may cause bad feelings.

10. Do not call close to pregnant women, children and patients especially in emergency wards.

11. During a meeting, don’t answer your phone, text your friends, or check your e-mail. Otherwise, you’ll appear distracted, bored, and unprofessional. If you’re texting or e-mailing someone for important information pertaining to the meeting, let others know what you’re doing so they don’t think you’re being disrespectful. The best thing to do is leave your cell phone at your desk, and be sure to turn the ringer off.