Forewords

Foreword from Industry

I have known Mr. Gopalaswamy Ramesh for over two decades as an author of popular and widely followed books in Software Engineering, such as Managing Global Software Projects, Software Testing and Software Maintenance, and a contextually relevant book The ACE of Soft Skills. I am also acquainted with him as an industry professional who worked with Oracle, a leading database vendor for many years, as an adjunct faculty at IIIT Bangalore, Anna University, Chennai, Amrita University, Coimbatore and IIT Madras, as a great volunteer of Computer Society of India (CSI) dedicating his time and energy right from planning and organising a number of national and international conferences, workshops and seminars at CSI, as an alumnus of same institute – IIT Madras and mentored by the same mentor, Prof. H.N. Mahabala, a several time best teacher awardee at IIT Madras and as a gentleman who has been devoting considerable time, energy and resources and getting involved in socially relevant service activities, ranging from supporting NGOs and extending help in educating special needs children. When such an individual seeks my foreword for his current book From College to Career, which in my opinion is being launched at an appropriate time, it is my privilege and pleasure to accept the request.

Sudies by globally acclaimed instructions, such as Stanford Research Institute and the Carnegie Mellon Foundation have discovered that 75% of long-term job success depends on people skills and only 25% on technical skills. These studies were conducted among CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. For effective performance in the workplace, value creation for their clients and to achieve career progression, organisations expect their staff to possess certain technical and analytical skills and the ability to deal with the external world of customers, vendors and the government in a professional manner. They are also expected to work in a collaborative manner with their colleagues. After globalisation, professionals employed in the IT, ITeS, KPO, Engineering Design and Automation, and pharmaceutical industries have felt the need to develop soft skills to work effectively in cross-functional project teams, both locally and globally beyond their cultural boundaries. These skills will put them on a competitive scale and help them in meeting the expectations of the global industries.

Certain studies—conducted by various agencies—paint an alarming picture of employability of Indian graduates—only 10% to 25% can be gainfully employed in the industry. There is a clear imbalance in demand and supply ratio as educational institutions in India are churning out higher number of graduates than job opportunities being created in the country. For example, while the demand for engineers in the IT sector have remained the same for about a decade at about 4 lakh, the number of engineers trying to get into the industry has zoomed to over 15 lakh. Further, as per the Indian Staffing Foundation, finding skilled workers is becoming harder than before.

This book, which is being released at this opportune time, looks at traits and skills for aspiring professionals and also suggests the path for a smooth transition from college to a promising job in a difficult time and environment.

The authors have organised the contents of the book logically and presents the subject matter in a simple and lucid manner. Creative illustrations across all chapters have made the text more comprehensible and interesting. The summary sections at the end of each chapter has captured the learning in a very crisp and concise fashion.

The first part of the book prepares a student as he or she embarks on a process of job-hunting. It explains ways to craft a compelling resume, tackle aptitude tests and move on to the next stages of recruitment, such as interviews and group discussions. In many cases, these steps serve as an elimination process rather than a selection process. The tips and checklists provided are relevant for students trying for placement opportunities, both from the campus while studying, and off-campus after graduation.

Students seldom get a chance to develop habits, such as vision for the future, thinking beyond the short-term goals and targets relating to academic achievements, time management essential for effective and efficient execution of jobs and importance of working hard as well as smart. These are fundamental for building a career and are dealt in the second part of the book in an elegant manner.

Communication, the most important aspect of soft skills, is the focus item in the third part. Here, the authors take a closer look at the various components of communication, such as its organisation, vocal variety, body language, and most importantly, listening skills, which are under-emphasized and often overlooked.

Employability is beyond getting employed. One has to sustain in his or her career and grow continuously. How to ensure a successful career is the theme of the fourth part of the book. It discusses certain aspects that have long-term implications like lifelong learning, sensitization to diversity and globalisation, enhancing emotional intelligence to achieve a good work-life balance and the ability to set and manage growing expectations of the industry and work environment.

The final part of the book focuses on two fundamental aspects that we often take for granted – common sense and etiquette. Some of the aspects that are dealt in detail, including cultural issues, saying ‘no’, practicing the art of engaging in small talks while conversing, respecting privacy, managing meetings, etiquettes on phone and email. A chapter on English language highlights the advantage of learning the language and emphasizes on how to improve upon it to achieve a lasting benefit in the long run. The final chapter in this part of the book deals with topics that help sharpen one’s skills and develop competencies such as self-actualisation, ethics, values and moral principles to achieve personal excellence at workplace, ensure a proper work-life balance, maintain personal integrity and being responsible to the society.

I consider this book an asset for a fresher and a professional who is already employed and is aspiring to advance in his or her career. Being associated with the IT industry for about three decades and involved with the Computer Society of India, IEEE Computer Society, Professional Communication Society, and Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for over two decades, I have seen the need for all the aspects dealt in this book. I also request the authors to consider coming out with an online course to reach a wider section of readers in the context of the growing adoption of e-learning. Further, I take this opportunity to request them to address the student groups in professional bodies, such as CSI, IEEE and ACM, and sensitize them on the various aspects of career progression.

Mr. H.R. Mohan
Former Associate Vice President (Systems), The Hindu
President (2014–15), Computer Society of India
Chairman (2007–), IEEE Computer Society
Chairman (2011–), IEEE Professional Communication Society
Interface to Technical Societies (2010–), ACM India Madras Chapter