Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ABSTRACT
Employability refers to a person’s capability of gaining initial employment, maintaining employment, and obtaining new
employment if required (Hillage and Pollare, 1998).It depends on knowledge, skills and attitude the employer seeks. In
order to be employable, it is important to understand the needs of the marketplace and identify what skills you already
have and what skills you need to include in your career plan. In a list of the skills and attributes identified by companies
that belong to the National Association of Career Educators and Employers (NACE), communication skill holds the first
position. Today in the world of globalization if ones communication is not effective then survival become a problem.
Every employer wants their employee to be an effective speaker only to soften their client and get business done. It is not
only IT industry that needs effective English as people always are fancy about. It’s mandatory to have effective English
invariable of the sector and industry. This paper brings out different sectors found in Indian Market, their expectation
related to effective English, the current position of effective English among job seekers and some viable solutions to
improve the standard of their English. The information shared here is not an outdated one before December 2008 but
updated after January 2009 the so called black year in Worlds economy.
Prologue
Communication has enabled mankind to progress and become advanced societies. Highly specialized skills, advances in
technology, amazing inventions, spectacular breakthroughs in arts and sciences have limited value unless it is
communicated effectively to its intended audience and communicated precisely for specific purposes. Communication is
very important not only for smooth running of a business enterprise but it is also equally, if not more, important for the
Employability refers to a person’s capability of gaining initial employment, maintaining employment, and obtaining new
employment if required (Hillage and Pollare,1998).It depends on knowledge, skills and attitude the employer seeks. In
order to be employable, it is important to understand the needs of the marketplace and identify what skills you already
have and what skills you need to include in your career plan. In a list of the skills and attributes identified by companies
that belong to the National Association of Career Educators and Employers (NACE), communication skill holds the first
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position. Today in the world of globalization if one’s communication is not effective then survival becomes a problem.
Every employer wants their employee to be an effective communicator only to soften their client and get business done. It
is not only IT industry that needs effective English but also common people have fancy about. It’s mandatory to have
effective English invariable of the sector and industry. This paper brings out the selection procedures adopted by
companies in Indian job market, their expectation related to effective English, the current position of job seekers and some
Once you have sent your resume to a company and survived the weeding out process, your resume typically gets passed
Phone Interview
So why do companies conduct phone interviews? Phone interviews give the company a chance to get a feel for your skill-
set, interests, desired compensation etc., and see if there is a match between their needs and your strengths. If there is
enough common ground, then the phone interviews are almost always followed-up by an in-person interview. Phone
interviews are generally conducted in two steps. The first step is with a recruiter in Human Resources. The second step is
a technical interview, usually with one of the people you would be working with. Technical phone interviews are usually
only conducted for people living outside the geographical region. This is done because the company wants to have some
level of confidence in your technical abilities before they decided to spend the money to fly you in for an in-person
interview.
In-Person Interview
If you survived the initial phone interview, the next step is probably an in-person interview. Every company has their own
way of conducting these interviews. Some prefer to have "panel-like" interviews, while others prefer one-to-one
interviews. Expect to interview with three to four technical people (most likely the people you will end up working with)
and maybe a group manager. The entire interviewing process can take anywhere between 2 to 6 hours. If the interview
overlaps with lunch hours, the company will usually arrange for lunch. Expect a wide variety of questions that range from
common personal questions to very challenging technical questions relevant to the job you are applying for. Remember
that the whole point of this exercise is for the interviewers to determine if you have the skills to do the job you are
interviewing for, and if you are someone they would like to work with.
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The Global Requisite
In the age of globalization, the use of English as the primary language for business communication has become the
worldwide standard. As companies expand internationally, the ability to communicate in English has become a strategic
factor for successful business planning. Multinational corporations in particular have a vital need for tools that accurately
evaluate the workplace English communication skills of current and potential employees.
Proficiency in English is a mandatory requirement for any professional working in a global business environment. While
professions may vary, the need to be proficient in English is a basic skill for any global worker. For example, the
professional jargon used by a Computer programmer differs greatly from that of a physician but both professionals need
to have a good command of the English language in their own fields. A deficiency in this area may result in barrier for the
In the corporate world, English is used for international communication, top management meetings and high level
negotiations. English is the preferred language for internal and external communication inter and intra companies
worldwide. Employers expect the workforce to possess excellent communication skills apart from knowledge and
In the present day workplace, individuals require a range of occupationally specific knowledge and skills, personal
attributes and attitudes, the ability to transfer knowledge and skills to different situations, etc. Most industry is quite
concerned about the noticeable gap in Spoken and Written English. Another core competency of their employees which is
the analytical skills or critical thinking is arising as a major concern among employers. Large scale surveys of language
and literacy skills reveal that the work force needs have to be constantly upgraded in terms of appropriate skills required.
In the process of interview for the final year students 40% of them get spot placement because of their powerful academic
records. A moderate communication skill is sufficient for these students to get placement as they have sound technical
knowledge reflected in their mark statements and technical interviews. 20% of the students with average marks, technical
knowledge and communication skills somehow get placements later, not in the campus interviews but after they complete
their course or the degree. Our concern is about the remaining 40% “The Left Out”. These students with all the right
information on their CV but an inability to communicate effectively, or someone with one or two gaps who is willing to
learn and can express themselves easily and fluently. The main problems with them are Unfamiliar with resume, Poor
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academic record, Insufficient knowledge of industry, Lack of leadership, Lack of career focus, Insufficient interest in
employer, Ineffective communication style or skills, Low level of enthusiasm, Negative attitude and Failure to sell self.
These students after a big struggle complete their degree by taking another year or two. After they pursue their degree
they were branded as completed with arrears or low level graduates. The job market shows them NO VACANCY board
and kicks them out of their territory. As English teachers what can we do for this result is the matter that needs to be
discussed?
English communication skills have become a must at workplace in India. Ask any average professional working with any
sector of the economy, they will for sure comply with this fact. The demand for personnel with good English skills
[speaking-listening-reading-writing] is evidently seen in IT industry and service Industry. Emerging to this challenge and
requirement for personnel with strong English skills, institutions and firms have launched special English language
programs. They primarily aim at equipping students with the right technical and English skills set, and thereby assuring
their work with technology firms and in adequately meeting the language needs of the workplace.
An issue of concern is that, the course content or curriculum that goes into preparing the students for workplace English is
diverse, and many a time mis-oriented, with the end-result being not serving the purpose for what it was meant. A major
blunder often committed is the setting of all personnel on equal footing, without least concern for assessment of their
general and technical background, work expectations, work groups and work culture. Recruiters are turned-off of
applicants with poor vocabulary and an inarticulate way of expressing themselves. What training institutions also fail to
understand is the need to work backwards, by focusing on the actual workplace language experiences and usage of
personnel, and thereby structure a need-based and need-catering workplace English curriculum. Even the
corporate/companies that started in-house English training courses for their personnel are not free of this mistake.
Restructuring Framework
Though the Central, State and Private Universities have added papers related to Communication skill Enhancement for the
pre final and final year students, still it needs to be restructured. The syllabi should incorporate
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Handling difficult interview questions.
Apart from all these changes the technical English paper needs reconsideration with more activity based topics. Only then
we can pull up the student or the students will come forward to talk. This will indirectly help them improve their fluency
Conclusion
Communication Skills gives the ability to sell oneself to an employer and sets up to display many of the other qualities on
this list. Straightforward, intelligent communication makes us look confident, prepared, and trustworthy.
Reference
Martin Yate, C.P.C., Knock 'em Dead, 2008: The Ultimate Job Search Guide , ISBN-10: 1598691651
by Richard Nelson Bolles (Author) What Color Is Your Parachute? 2008: A Practical Manual for Job-hunters and Career-
Paul D. Tieger , Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type. ISBN-
10: 0316167266.