FACETS OF CONTEMPORARY SLAVERY

Thought that slavery was just a problem of yesteryears?  I suggest you to think again!

For much of history, slavery was seen as reasonable and lawfully correct action reflecting a divinely ordained order, perceived as firmly in ancient years somewhere in 1980s.

While we often think of slavery as a barbaric practice from long ago, it is important to recognize that not only does it exist today, but it is thriving around the world.

There are a number of factors that have contributed to the revival of slavery today. The world’s population has almost multiplied in double where there are fewer jobs, resources, and the opportunities to go around leaving behind no choices for people than to take desperate measures to survive in these conditions.

Also, corrupt governments leave slavery unchecked, and slaveholders continue to skirt the law and hold people in bondage. As a result of these factors, there are more slaves in the world today than at any time in history.

Millions of men, women and children around the world are strained to lead their lives as slaves. Although this exploitation is often not called slavery, the conditions are yet the same. People are sold like objects, dehumanized, forced to work for little or no pay and are at the mercy of their 'owners'.

Common types of Contemporary Slavery that exist today fall under following categories:

Debt Bondage

These are usually the ones who have been tricked into taking loan for sickness or for personal usage. They are then forced to repay the debt by working long hours, seven days a week and up to 365 days a year. They receive basic food and shelter as 'payment' for their work, but may never pay off the loan, which can be passed down for generations.

Illegal employment

People who are illegally recruited by individuals, governments or political parties are than forced to work, usually under threat of violence or other penalties.

Trafficking

Millions of women, children and men are transported and/or traded from one area to another for the purpose of forcing them into slavery conditions. 1.8 per 1000 people are reported to be the prevalence of trafficking victims in the world.

Child Labor

Millions of women, children and men are transported and/or traded from one area to another for the purpose of forcing them into slavery conditions. Research estimates at least 126 million of children around the world doing work that is harmful to their health and welfare.

Modern-day slavery is indeed a complex issue that requires a collaborative and versatile response.

To be more effective in controlling this issue I uphold governments, individuals and businesses worldwide to target anti-trafficking strategies in three major dimensions of human trafficking: Supply, demand and the systems /structures that allow it to happen. This means taking strict action without discrimination against the country of origin, stakeholders that make its transit possible and against the country of destination.

Public awareness message: “Let’s consume ethically and not trade human lives!”

5 KEYS TO SUCCESS

1.     Combine long term vision with short term focus;

2.     Successful people are goal oriented;

3.     Successful people are result oriented;

4.     Successful people are excellent time managers; and

5.     Successful people save at least 10% of their income regularly.

IMPACT OF WORKING MOTHERS ON CHILDREN AND FAMILY

Most working moms agree that they work to meet the needs of their families. Research shows that they might be working for either to gain financial security, health benefits or for other reasons. But even those of them who love their jobs sometimes struggle to find the balance between work and life. And, yes, they sometimes feel guilty about the time they spend away from their children. Despite all these facts, working mothers do play a pivotal role in building up good values in their children and are bringing about positive impact on their children in day-to-day life.

POSITIVE IMPACTS:

Responsibility

For starters, they are teaching their kids responsibility. In their own families, they talk about work in a positive way and their children think having a job is really cool. Children are often seen asking if they can accompany their working moms to their work. Kids learn responsibility outside the home as well as inside the home. Social psychologist Dr. Susan Newman, has done an extensive research on the subject of parenting and family issues. In her recent article she suggested, “Being a working mother is an opportunity to give children more responsibility to help with chores, to monitor their own schoolwork and activities, in essence to be more responsible for themselves.”

Financial Savvy

We work to make money, right? Even at a young age, kids make the connection between work and money; and money and having stuff. Dr. Newman says, “The earning power allows you to give your child necessities as well as ‘extras,’ and is a lesson in what hard work can accomplish.”

"They learn to be conscious about the value of money and conservative about their requests, as well as appreciative and grateful for what they have," says Ms. Elayna Fernandez (a single mother, author and a speaker at local university).

Role Model

Dr. Newman’s research suggested, “As a working mother you are a role model for your children, especially for daughters. Mom working often inspires daughters to work harder and in some instances reflects the possibilities for women today.”

India’s top business woman, Ms. Chandra Koccher adds, “As a professional woman, my children are exposed to a different side of mommy when I'm dressed up and presenting myself to the world as a business woman and business owner. Particularly for my young daughter, the impact is great because she sees a strong, confident role model.”

DRAWBACKS:

Are there drawbacks to working outside of the home for a working mom? Yes/ may be. But does it actually harm your kids?

A renowned Pediatrician, Dr.  Abdul Ghaffar Billoo states that there’s no evidence supporting that idea. Dr. Billo says, “The facts are that a child’s development is influenced more by the emotional health of the family, and the availability of appropriate child care. Children who receive lots of love and attention will thrive regardless of whether the mother works outside the home. “

What are your opinions on the impact a working mom has on her children and family? Leave the comment below on the blog to let us have your feedback.

UNDERSTANDING HUMAN RELATIONS

The six most important words: "I admit I made a mistake."

The five most important words: "You did a good job."

The four most important words: "What is your opinion."

The three most important words: "If you please."

The two most important words: "Thank you,"

The one most important word: "We"

The least important word: "I

WRITING AN APPEALING EMPLOYMENT HISTORY - RESUME

Hiring managers have love-hate relationships with resumes. If you give a hiring manager the information needed to make a quick decision about your credentials, you will have an edge over other applicants.

Here are SEVEN to capture the attention of hiring managers:

1.    Avoid producing the Job Description – indicate actual performance 

2.    Prove Your Value – summarize your accomplishments and provide proof of your value

3.    Quantify Results – use percentages and figures rather than just statements for impact

4.    Are You Up to PAR? – Problem, Action, and Results – write your PAR accomplishments

5.    Make It Readable - Preface accomplishments with a heading such as Key Accomplishments or Significant Contributions using bullets

6.    Use Power Words - Avoid dull or stale phrases such as "responsible for" and "duties include."

7.    Be Honest – The best strategy for your resume is to always be truthful about your background.

FIVE WAYS TO USE TWITTER FOR CAREER

I recently read that Twitter is a little like coffee. It tastes awful at first, but then suddenly you’re addicted. (Anyone know where I read this so I can give credit?)

And so, if you’ve never even visited Twitter.com, this is a good primer on how to set up an account and get started. If you’re already on the service, but still don’t really get it, read this.

And now, our five tips:

Keep up with industry news. Follow thought leaders and/or people who post links to new ideas in your field.  To find people in your sector, try tools like MrTweet.com and wefollow.com, which organize Twitter users by category.  Once you’ve followed a few smart, relevant people, you’ll have created a customized news feed of headlines that interest you.

Connect with people you’d like to meet.  After you’ve discovered some interesting people to follow, start conversations and re-tweet other people's useful messages (“retweeting” is Twitter speak for re-posting a tweet written by someone else).

Become a resource. If you have an expertise, share it. To help yourself look like a credible resource, complete your profile, including your location, a URL (your LinkedIn profile is fine) and key words that will help people find you when they search on your subject area.

Hire and be hired. Jobs are advertised on Twitter.  Recruiters scour Twitter to find candidates. And savvy job seekers use Twitter to network their way to new positions.

Minimize the self-promotion. The most respected Twitter users offer their followers useful, entertaining or interesting information, rather than self-promotion. These folks also realize that because people choose to get their messages on Twitter (by following them), they have to post valuable updates or others will not follow them. A good rule of thumb is the 80/20 split; 80% stuff about other people and ideas; 20% stuff about yourself or links to your site.

ARE YOU IN THE RIGHT CAREER?

To help determine whether you are in the right career, ask yourself some of the following questions:

·         Do you enjoy going to work most days?

·         Do you enjoy what you do on the job?

·         Are you motivated to seek advancement in your career?

·         Are you willing to put in the extra effort to succeed in your career?

·         Are you in a stable or growing profession?

·         Do the requirements of your career match your lifestyle?

·         Are you satisfied with the time commitment your career requires?

·         Where do you see your career taking you in the next three to five years?

If you answered “Yes” to many of these questions, you are probably in the right career.

For you, career planning will entail seeking ways to learn and grow in your career. You must determine what skills and characteristics to develop, and what additional experience you need to continue your professional development.

If you answered “No” to more than a few of these questions, it may be time to consider a new career.

CHALLENGES OF RECRUITMENT

Recruitment is undergoing a change. Not just a small scale evolution but a fundamental progression paradigm - a shift that will see recruiting landscape change in a manner where traditional recruiters will be falling behind and being replaced by new, differently skilled recruiters, ready for the challenges of Recruitment.

What is so challenging?

The current global recruitment landscape is changing with a fast pace. The global war for the best talent is real i.e. the talent mass is geographically mobile and happy to move for the best job. Further, the talent mass is getting more demanding, not only in pay but in terms of career progression and training and development. The experienced talent pool is noticeably shrinking in volume resulting for the recruiters fighting in a smaller talent pool to attract candidates across different sectors.

Also, the graduate pool is scarily becoming “less skilled” with watered-down degrees; ill-preparing them for working life. Talent is becoming less loyal and happy to switch companies every two years on an average. We see the market competitors are getting smarter in mapping out talent pools and attracting the staff away from their current placements.

While, the recruitment agencies are failing to be creative in attracting the unique talent to their databases, hence bringing about the “recruitment chess” of the same talent across companies.

There is a fundamental underlying core essence of Recruitment – “Not everyone is looking for a job”. The benchmark seems to suggest that only 10% of relevant/experienced talent is actively looking for a role at any given moment in time.

Thus, 90% of candidates relevant for your role/s are not engaged in job searches. The best candidates are typically among them.

Hence in a candidate short market that is full of challenges, companies must ponder on why they are focused on using recruitment agencies, posting on job boards, and CV searching, when they are not actually reaching out to the 90% non-active segment, which could include the best candidates out of the entire talent pool.