According to a study carried out by the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), a little self-reflection could do us all a world of good.

Julie McCarthy, associate professor of organizational behaviour at UTSC, said, “People need time to refocus in order to learn or study well.”

From in.news.yahoo.com:

“But maybe by backing off and taking breaks, students are able to replenish their resources.”

Feeling drained leads to lower levels of satisfaction with life and higher rates of burnout, depression and ill-health. And while playing multiple roles can be stimulating, interesting and lead to sense of accomplishment and achievement, McCarthy said there are real risks we need to be aware of.

“People need to assess which strategies they’re using to cope with their problems and make sure they’re making time for resource recovery,” she said.

“Too many roles can be detrimental unless we begin asking ourselves honest, pointed questions,” she added.

“This technique is traditionally seen as ‘running away from your problems’,” said McCarthy.

According to a new study, India Inc is upbeat about the business outlook for the January-March quarter but will be playing it safe when it comes to hiring of new staff and most job openings are likely to be at entry and junior levels in smaller cities.

The outlook of corporate India improved slightly in the contexts of business prospects during the quarter, according to a TeamLease employment outlook report for January-March, 2010.

From in.finance.yahoo.com:

“The past two quarters have shown impressive GDP growth of around 8.9 per cent despite inflationary pressures. So while inflation continues to be a cause of concern, the business sentiment among India Inc remains positive. This is also evident from the reasonably good Q3 numbers being reported by many companies,” TeamLease Services Vice-President Sangeeta Lala said.

“This will have a positive impact on the hiring outlook for the coming quarters, while the current quarter (Q4) remains more or less steady when compared to the previous quarter,” she said.

The survey also noted that companies are likely to increase their focus on Tier-II cities, which will have positive implications for the labour market. In this regard, the report indicates that the hiring scenario in Tier-II cities has improved by 2 per cent.

In contrast, there was just a 1 per cent increase in the hiring prospects in metro cities. In rural areas, the hiring sentiment has remained more or less stagnant, as per the survey.

“Interestingly, hiring initiatives are likely to accelerate in Tier-II cities, while metros and tier-III towns keep up the healthy sentiment of the previous quarter,” Lala added.

The business outlook improved, by 2 per cent to 73 per cent, during the quarter while the employment outlook moved up by 1 per cent to 69 per cent.

Online advertisers have found yet another marketing strategy to earn. They pay some hired individuals to click on displayed ads and earn revenues. There are part timers who are increasingly engaging themselves in this work and housewives who find it easy to earn sitting at home.

From timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Traffic to click overseas Internet ads – from home loans to insurance – is spreading fast in India. “I have no interest in what appears when clicking an ad. I care only whether to pause 60 seconds or 90 seconds, as money is credited if you stay online for a fixed time,” says another user.

Here’s how it works: online advertisers in developed markets agree to pay hosting website each time an ad is clicked. With performance-based deals becoming dominant on the Internet, intermediaries have sprung up to “do the needful”.’ Why, type in ‘earn rupees clicking ads’ in Google — you get 25,000 results.

As the competition is increasing day by day, any trick would do some or the other benefit to the owners. The clickers are now either earning through paypal or middle men or receive cash. Clickers increase the number of appearance of web ad and get tracked by users more easily.

It is often believed that beauty is the deciding factor when it comes to favors by bosses. However, beauty has an ugly side attached to it and is a hurdle for some women who are looking for jobs that are considered as ‘masculine’ by society.

According to a study conducted by the University of Colorado’s Denver Business School, attractive women are often discriminated against when applying for jobs considered as ‘masculine’, and for which physical appearance is not seen as important for the job.

From in.news.yahoo.com:

In the study, the researchers gave recruiters a list of jobs and photos of applicants and told them to sort them according to their suitability for the job. There were a total of 55 men and 55 women candidates.

In job categories like director of security, hardware salesperson, prison guard and tow truck driver, attractive women were overlooked. In each of these jobs, appearance was perceived to be unimportant.

Attractive women tended to be sorted into positions like receptionist or secretary.

‘One could argue that, under certain conditions, physical appearance may be a legitimate basis for hiring,’ said lead researcher Stefanie Johnson, assistant professor of management at the school.

‘In jobs involving face-to-face client contact, such as sales, more physically attractive applicants could conceivably perform better than those who are less attractive. However, it is important that physical attractiveness is weighed equally for men and women to avoid discrimination against women.’

‘In these professions, being attractive was highly detrimental to women,’ she said.

The study was published in the latest issue of the journal of Social Psychology.

If you have been giving your best at the workplace but still there is no appreciation or reward coming your way, you need to ask some questions to yourself. Once answered, it is time for you to go for a salary hike.

Most of us, especially members of the youth community, are hesitant to ask for a salary hike despite deserving it. But asking for a hike is worth the courage and you will be pleased to know that the rewards are worth it.

From Timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

Does your performance speak for itself?

If the answer is yes, you have a chance. Present all your achievements since you started working in the organisation. Showcase how these achievements are noteworthy and need recognition in the form of a promotion and raise. The best time to ask is immediately after a recent major achievement, where you have displayed exemplary behaviour (cost cutting, clinching a major account, process improvement or improved productivity). But remember that your past performance, ability to perform under pressure and meet tight deadlines also enhances your chances for a promotion.

Are you ready to take on additional responsibilities?

Promotion means additional responsibilities. The expectation levels will also increase the moment you move to the next level. What was exceptional performance in the last role would be considered average in the new role. As you move ahead in your career, remember that there is no scope for complacency.

Is there a position that you can fill in?

Companies do not offer promotions merely to satisfy employees. There must be a vacancy available. Organisations do not create positions to fulfil your desires. Even if they do so, within a couple of months you will realise that you are still stuck doing the same old routine tasks. However, if you have been creating value additions, been efficient and well informed, there is a possibility of you being given an opportunity to do something different, where you create something from scratch, perhaps even a new department. This is your true test of performance, potential and perseverance.

In addition to keeping a close eye on these factors, do make it a point to present a positive picture about how you can contribute more towards the organization’s growth. Do not hit the panic button and send an email to resign, it does not work most of the times, try to find an amicable solution without being unprofessional!

Many people are of the view that members of the youth community should be encouraged to enter politics but this has always been a debated issue. Let us have a feel of this issue to gain a clear insight and find out if the youth of today is actually ready and should take this big responsibility.

Young society members have often been accused of spending too much of their time on waste or notorious activities. Some of them do indulge in such activities but surely not all of them. The young Gen-X finds it easy to accept the blame rather than making an outcry to defend the truth. This creates a bad impression and this is one of the biggest reasons why political and economic veterans do not encourage the entry of youth in politics. However, truth is truth and cannot be hidden behind the walls of “myth” for long. Youngsters of today are excelling in every segment and the world of politics is no exception. From eminent names such as John F Kennedy (Youngest President of USA) to John Watson (Youngest PM of Australia), young guns have always shown that they can change the world with their refined approach whether the world accepts the fact or not.

Point to remember: While debating whether to allow youth to enter into politics or not, it should always be remembered that youngsters are harbingers of the new era of values besides being the torchbearers of their respective nations. They must be given motivation to take big responsibilities. However, the onus of understanding this fact and accepting the responsibility to free their native citizens from injustice, corruption, and divisive trends still lies with the youth who often choose to stay unbothered and reluctant to accept the task & must accept the responsibilities with willing hands.

Conclusion: Youngsters are ready to take politics but should be first encouraged to clean the “dirt” in politics and act for the betterment. Unless the youth is entrusted with responsibility and given due respect for their decision, the entry to world of politics would not be a possibility.

There is no doubt that youngsters can change the outlook of a nation in the best possible manner but the direction to make the change should be encouraged by the experience of “veterans”, who must be more than willing to handover charge of their responsibilities to the young members of the society so that every nation of the world can be a prosperous and happy one. That was all from our side, keep reading!

We hope that this blog on entry of youth in politics was useful to you in more than just a way.

If you are confused about your first job after completing your college education, this piece of information is written just for you.

In today’s world, employment opportunities are endless but finding the best of them all is seriously a big task. This is because your first job will be a big factor in stimulating your hidden and yet-to-be explored skills in a business environment. Moreover, the first one will also be an influential factor in eyes of future recruiters. Therefore, it becomes imperative for you to make a good decision well supported by a comprehensive research about the job market.

Before you starting finding and applying to jobs of your preferences, create a good resume as well as a cover letter and arrange your educational and professional certificates in one place. Now, start job hunting.

Expedite your job search by making things focused. Look at online job search resources, including job search sites, job search engines, networking sites, and resume posting sites. You can even have a look at the job classifieds and newspaper section for career opportunities. Do not forget to reduce the search by selecting jobs as per your career field and location.

After you have finalized some companies, send them your resume or visit them as per the job advertisement. Do not appear desperate for the job and make the recruiter know that you are fit, qualified, and confident for the opportunity coming your way.

Remember, being confident and not going over or under-confident is the key for success in the world of employment opportunities.

In these tough times of recession and market slowdown, not many of the young minds are getting what they truly deserve. With even the employment of stalwarts under a threat and companies looking to employ only experienced staff, employment opportunities for freshers are fewer than ever.

Add to that, the increasing number of job cuts, experienced people willing to work at low payouts, and some companies often shutting down and the fresher community is fighting with more problems than ever.

These are the tough times when settling for a low payout job may not appear to be a bad idea for a fresher. We all know that not all of us are born with a luck spoon to sit at home and enjoying when jobs are hard to come along the way. It would be almost suicidal at this stage to change an employer unless the employer is on a cost-cutting spree.

The best suggestion during these times would be to be a part of a business that is able to sustain its operations without much trouble. The size of a business should not matter for a young mind if the business is good enough to give him good training even if at a low salary.

In short, if you are a fresher looking for a job then do not be stubborn enough to lose a career opportunity just because of a low payout. If you really have it in you, you will get the benefits sooner or later.