BrightSpyre Launches GIKI Job Board

BrightSpyre on Thursday, 10th of April, 2008 has launched Pakistan’s first ever university Job board (http://giki.jobboard.com.pk) for Ghulam Ishaque Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences & Technology (GIKI) graduates. GIKI Job Board was officially inaugurated during "Open House" event by NWFP Governor Mr. Awais Ahmed Ghani. This Job Board was result of combine efforts of BrightSpyre and GIKI Career Cell who took the initiative and introduced this new concept in academia. This Job Board will offer GIKI students and alumni’s & employers direct contact with each other and will also provide easy & quick access to companies to hire fresh graduates from GIKI. This Job Board will also be highly beneficial for the employers from all over Pakistan, as they can easily target GIKI fresh graduates from all disciplines.

In Addition this job board will create a huge opportunity for graduates and graduating students to search jobs under one platform with more awareness about the market trends. BrightSpyre will help in leveraging the relationship between university and employers’, increasing the access to these candidates for employers as BrightSpyre is highly motivated to provide the University recruiting segment in GIKI. BrightSpye has always set their own trends and standards with continuous expansion and growth in Local & International market. Although BrightSpyre has started university job board for first time in Pakistan but has a vast global experience in Job Boards. BrightSpyre has its own Product with the name of personforce (www.personforce.com) in USA. In a very short period of time BrightSpyre has gain a vital place in US academic institutions and it is now highly regarded among the top online location for recruiters in the USA to hire the best talent from prestigious Universities like Harvard, Standford, Cornell and Yale.

Job Board URL: giki.jobboard.com.pk
This news is covered in Green & White and PASHA official website "PASHA News".

Event in Pictures

Career Counselling for IT graduates in Kohat University

Education in IT has grown tremendously; Kohat University of Science & Technology is playing a vital role in grooming its 200 IT graduate students and getting them prepared for challenging global IT industry.

BrightSpyre is expanding its program to all parts of country and playing its major role to provide industry feedback into the academia. In the continuation of its programs BrightSpyre.com conducted its career grooming seminar in Kohat University of Science and Technology on Friday 28th of March, 2008.

BrightSpyre had a career counseling session and resume building workshop with the students of KUST. This session was attended by more than 200 students with faculty members including Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Lutfullah Kakakhel. BrightSpye had a productive discussion with the students regarding current market trends and technologies in which students also shared about their views and perception about industry.

The students showed keen interest in asking how they can apply for jobs online; what are the skill sets required by companies; how they can find internship opportunities; how to compare companies before joining organizations for jobs; how fresh graduates can be hired without having any experience.

In a statement, Vice Chancellor appreciated the initiative taken by BrightSpyre and termed this event as a very healthy & fruitful activity for students of KUST. BrightSpyre is the only recruiting company in Pakistan who has such an extensive university outreach program and first one to visit Kohat-NWFP.

This year, BrightSpyre University Outreach program is scheduled in more than 30 universities from all over Pakistan featuring career guidance, career counseling, workshops, academic seminars and interviews on spot for current open positions. We have helped thousands of graduates and employers make employment connections over the years as we make every effort to provide flawless customer service, promote our programs comprehensively and make success as job seeking and employment clients our highest priority.

BrightSpyre team is grateful for the efforts of Vice Chancellor, faculty members and students who were indeed a great help in organizing such a remarkable and successful event.

• Event in Pictures

Interview with Ahmad Malik

As part of career counseling and advice, BrightSpyre will now be regularly featuring interviews of successful Pakistanis who have made it big nationally or internationally. We hope that these interviews turn out to be inspiration for young Pakistanis and also help them in advancing their careers.

Ahmad Malik's Profile: Mr. Malik has been working for CIBER (A US$1 Billion dollar American company in Denver Colorado, USA) for the past eleven years as Director of IS Applications. As part of his job, he has lead numerous projects to implement, maintain and enhance Enterprise Applications (ERP, CRM, and Portals) used by CIBER to run its business. He completed his bachelor's degree in computer science from FAST Institute of Computer Science in 1994 (now called FAST National University), and an MBA in management from University of Colorado at Denver.

Q) You were in one of the first batches to graduate out of FAST Lahore. How was that experience?

FAST helped me discover myself. I was very glad to be educated in the field that I was planning to get into since my first visit to the computer exhibition at American Center in Islamabad a couple of years earlier (in the late 1980s). At FAST, we worked with very limited resources and to this date that experience helped me find optimal IT solutions for my customers based on the available resources.

Q) You have studied here in Pakistan and also in the USA. What is the major difference in the education that you have found?

As I answer this question, keep in mind that it has been 14 years since I graduated (from FAST in 1994) and just like anything else education has improved and vast resources are available to learn from i.e. internet, email, etc. In the US, we are required to perform extensive research to write papers or evaluate case studies. Team exercises are encouraged since it helps in the real life. Critical thinking, risk taking, and learning from mistakes is encouraged.

Q) What skills did you gain at FAST that helped you make the transition to the US institutions with ease?

FAST gave me a lot of confidence which helped me market myself to get admissions in the US institutions. Additionally, some courses that we took were advanced level as compared to Bachelor's courses in the USA. FAST helped me secure internship at IBM and job at Oratech which also helped me during my time in the US Universities.

Q) Is there anything that you would like to see improve among Pakistani graduates?

I am a strong advocate of having betters soft skills. Technical skills are very important and if soft skills are absent, technical skills are of no use. I recommend improving the following soft skills:

1. Resourcefulness

2. Organizational Skills

3. Problem Solving Ability

4. Customer Oriented

5. Honesty and Integrity

6. Thirst for Knowledge

7. Communication Skills

8. Good Attitude

9. Longevity

10. Goal Oriented

11. Hard Worker

12. Enthusiasm

13. Performance Trend

14. Fast Learner

15. Team Player

In the past I have delivered presentations in FAST with a title "Successful traits that make you valuable in the IT industry". Details can be found at FAST Alumni website.

Q) What is one of the major differences in work that you found between the USA and Pakistan?

I have worked only one year at Oratech before coming to the US and I was fortunate to find that the right management team that helped me gain more knowledge and insight to the working of IT industry. They pushed my comfort zones which was very good. There was a time I consulted for a few months in another organization in Pakistan. I found that people are technically very capable but they need to improve their soft skills.

Q) Do you miss your family back home? How often do you travel back?

Of course I miss them and they miss my family :-) I visit my parents at least every other year. They visit me when I can't.

Q) Given a choice, would you prefer working in Pakistan over the USA?

One can find passion to work at any place and make a difference. If I get a chance to bring the skills to grow a company in Pakistan, I would be glad to come back.

Q) You have transitioned well from a technical person to an executive. How did you manage that transition?

I would not consider myself an executive yet. However, it is one of my goals to be a part of the executive team to help the organization meet its business goals. IT can help every department in an organization to improve efficiency and productivity.

As far as the transition is concerned, these two simple approaches helped me in my career:

• Managing downwards (employees) or sideways (peers): Share/Transfer knowledge. This freed me up to learn new skills and take on new challenges.
• Managing upwards: free your boss's time. Take on some of his/her responsibilities. You will learn new things and at the same time prepare yourself for the next job.

These two simple approaches helped me to transition from a programmer to business analyst to project manager to program manager to IT Director. And I hope that this will help me to transition from VP IT to CIO to COO to CEO.

Q) Books are something that you love to read. What are some of your favorites?

Some of my favorites include:

• 7 habits of the highly effective people by Stephen Covey
• Good to Great by Jim Collins
• The five dysfunctions of a team by Patrick Lencioni

Q) What magazines and periodicals do you read on a regular basis:

• CIO
• Information Week
• Harvard Business Review

Q) What are the top two/three sites that you visit regularly:

• www.cio.com
• www.informationweek.com
• www.gantthead.com
  
  I also subscribe to the email newsletters from these sites

Q) Can Pakistani IT curriculum be improved in any way?

It has been a while since I have looked at IT curriculum in Pakistan to suggest improvement. However, I would stress the importance of having students work at least one semester as a part of their degree. As always, I would like that the soft-skill improvement plan be incorporated in every course. Simple things as making random team can help the students prepare for the real-life 'random' teams.

Q) What is one thing that you look into when you hire a fresh graduate?

I evaluate candidates based on the soft-skills listed above. Additionally, I follow the following statement by Dee Hock (founder of VISA internationals):

"Hire and promote first on the basis of integrity; second, motivation; third, capacity; fourth, understanding; fifth, knowledge; and last and least, experience. Without integrity, motivation is dangerous; without motivation, capacity is impotent; without capacity, understanding is limited; without understanding, knowledge is meaningless; without knowledge, experience is blind. Experience is easy to provide and quickly put to good use by people with all the other qualities"

Q) What is it that you would like to see more in Pakistani graduates when they get out of school?

One thing: Improve your soft skills.

PASHA-BrightSpyre Career Fair In Rawalpindi/Islamabad

BrightSpyre-PASHA (Pakistan Software Houses Association) Career Fair is now scheduled to be held on July 8, 2007.

Time and Date: July 8, 2007 (10:00am - 8:00pm)
Location: Pearl Continental Hotel, Rawalpindi

A large number of companies and over 3,500 jobs seekers have already registered to attend. This makes it one of the largest such event in Rawalpindi area.

BrightSpyre will be holding career counseling and on the spot interviews for potential job seekers at the event. This is one of a kind event in Islamabad/Rawalpindi region to assist professionals get better jobs.

Please click here for more information about this event.

Interview; Some useful Suggestions

Giving an interview can be made an exciting experience and a source of learning if one has prepared well. There are things that every job seeker must learn and prepare for, before appearing for an interview, simply because no one can predict the nature of questions expected in an interview. The rule of thumb is to prepare and practice well.

What would be the first thing that an interviewer notices after the physical appearance of a candidate?

The answer is The Body Language.

The body language includes the way we stand,walk, talk and sit, position our hands and the way we communicate. The employers in this world of cut throat competition need leaders, the decision makers who can make the market based decisions but the people with the vision and foresight to handle any crisis as best as possible, as well. An open and frank demeanor with confident personality shows the positive side of the job seeker.

When answering the questions please make sure that the answers are brief and to the point, but communicated properly and sincerely. Answer should be only to what is being asked.

Irrelevant details and personal matters must not be discussed. Lengthy answers and personal matters are not what an interviewer is looking for. The emphasis on strengths is more important than disclosing the personal problems.

Your knowledge of the company, product line and services must be complete and up to date. Not knowing about the company and related details show casual and disinterested attitude. A little homework about the company, its inception, background, products and services and work environment can prove to be very helpful in the actual interview.

You can ask relevant questions though. The interview is a good time to know the details like what would be the initial responsibilities of the new employee, what kind of training would be available, what are the performance evaluation methods adopted in the company, what could be problematic areas of this job and what is the kind of team a new employee would be working with.

The initial assessment of a job seeker if positive, results in the discussion of salary and the benefits included with the salary, but it is never a good idea to state your expected salary first. It would be better

to wait for the offer of salary from the employer. The salary is usually based on the market trends and according to the qualifications and skills necessary for the post. More chances for you to get the prevailing salary if you fulfill the necessary criteria for the job.

Your Guide Towards a Successful Career

Step 2:

Appearance for the Interview

Getting an interview call is an achievement, because that indicates the resume you sent, left the right impression on the employer who now wants to see you in person.

This is the opportunity you were waiting for, the time to present your self in person, the time to prove what you wrote in your resume, the time to face the challenge.

Right now you have equal chances of getting selected as any other candidate who applied for the same position as you did.

What is the right step to take at this stage; Dress Up appropriately for the interview.

Dressing up is one area where you can earn extra points over others easily. A Little effort to look into the culture and work environment of the company would certainly help you to choose what color to wear on the interview occasion.

For Men

The corporate culture asks for formal wear. Dark Colored suit, suitably matched neck tie, polished shoes and an over all clean, professional look is all you require. Bright colors, ill fitted suit, loose necktie will do you no good. If you have already seen the office environment and you know how people dress up for the work, try to use the information to your benefit. The more you try to blend into the company culture, the more easy it would be ultimately, for you to adjust in the new work environment.

For Women

The corporate culture for women does not define much. Most of this part of the initial preparation is left to you to decide. Please remember that what goes for men, goes for women as well. Make sure that the choice of colors is appropriate for a formal occasion. Make up and jewelry should be minimal and should help in enhancing your over all image. Being over dressed up for an interview is never a good idea.

Some General Tips

Take a clean, crisp copy of your CV with you. It is always a good idea to have a copy of your resume in case you need it, besides, it is something to hold in your hands.

Wear a watch, wearing a watch has certain benefits. A watch is an accessory that enhances the over all appearance positively. It helps giving the impression of a person who values time.

Be on time. Remember, being ten minutes early for an interview is better than being five minutes late.

Keep track of the time and leave early if the distance requires so. Being early not only gives you time to relax and catch your breath but would also show a committed and professional approach.

Resume: The First Step

Step 1:

The Pakistan’s job market is expanding. With the growth in economy, and incentives from the government, more and more Multinational Companies are venturing into Pakistan’s market. With the economic growth rate of 6.6 per cent this year, the chances are, there will be more entrants into our product and service industry and each new entry, will in turn provide a chance to our talented job seekers to get employed.

Every enterprise wants people who have the potential to become an asset. They look for people who can take initiative, who can take the business forward while taking calculated risks and managing multiple tasks, the individuals who have the vision and a strong grasp over issues related to companies and their busines

There are very few universities in Pakistan that provide career counseling to their students. Most of the job seekers learn the preparatory steps necessary in the job search when they actually start looking for a job after completing their education. For Pakistani youth, getting a job at the right time is considered the single biggest factor contributing to their financial and personal growth.

There are certain things that every job seeker needs to have and present appropriately to get noticed by the prospective employer.

The first step to take is to make a professional Resume.

Resume is your first introduction. A professionally made, well formatted , clear and concise resume gives you a definite edge over some of the not so well made resumes. The first look that a resume receives from the employer decides the course of direction for the employer and the job seeker.

Do not forget to mention the important dates, and try not to leave gaps between the dates. Remember the dates you provide in the resume and support them with the relevant documents.

Mention your skills, strengths and achievements, besides your qualification and experience. Let the employer know what you can contribute towards the collective organizational growth.

Your contact information must be accurate and up to date. Give the phone number and e mail address that can be used to reach you. Much of the initial correspondence now a days ,takes place through e mail. When you apply for a job, check you e mail regularly for any updates from the company you applied to.

Something important to remember; be completely honest about the information you provide in your resume. Lack of honesty is more harmful than lack of experience when you make your resume. Do not mention something in your resume that can not be supported through documents or can not be verified through people. Any discrepancy found in your resume, at the time of interview, at worse, will render the whole exercise futile.

The reward for a well made, attention grabbing resume is, a call for an interview.

How to Give a First-Rate Interview

One of the biggest challenges facing any candidate is how to present themselves intelligently and coherently enough to impress the interviewer.

This is especially true for entry-level job seekers and can be a most daunting task because so much is at stake when we present ourselves for scrutiny before others ( do I feel your stress levels rising? ) Following are helpful tips to put in your repertoire basket and come from tough interviewers themselves:

1.Know your Company:

It is always a good idea to research upon the Company you wish to join. Key things to keep in mind are the growth, development and business changes occurring within the Company. Information of this kind is available through other people working in your choice of concern and through business sections in the papers as well as, on-line profiles on the net (corporate websites).

Merits:
Prior research is a systematic approach, which will impress. The best outcome of this acquaintanceship increases confidence to discuss your future with the Company. It eases edginess during the session because your mind knows you have created a link with the interviewer through your pre-hand knowledge and this in turn, eases the image of the interviewer from a cold, unfeeling machine capable of ruining your fate and thereby adding to your stress levels during the interview to an ordinary human being, someone whose working at the same Company as you might be.

Cautions:
Make sure not to bombard the interviewer with your pre-hand knowledge and do not name your insider informants. Do not get over confident just because you have extra information, as it is no guarantee to get you the job.

Know how to communicate well:

Unless you have a good English-Medium Schooling, which has hopefully strengthened your English Language skills, it is imperative to learn the English Language as it is used in offices everywhere. If you are deficient, this will adversely affect any future employment and growth in a professional environment. Please take language classes (elearning classes included) in order to be able to both speak and write. The best time to do this is before actually entering professional life say, during the vacations following your Matriculation Examinations.

Merits:

Being able to communicate gets your point across to the other person and obviously people who can talk well and talk sensibly tend to be more impressionistic.

Cautions:

Do not try to speak a language if you do not know it and definitely do not speak it with an accent. The interviewer will not be impressed at all. Always communicate in the language you know best. When answering queries take a moment to think up the answer and then speak up in a measured, controlled voice with a confident stance. Never remain silent for too long, no one likes to drag answers out of a quiet mouse. On the other hand, do not try to be over smart- the interviewer is after all the interviewer and will not want to silence a noisy jabber mouth

3.Personal presentation:

Good grooming is important. Do not go to an interview looking scruffy and unkempt. You will be mentally dismissed even before you start speaking. Keep in mind that there are standards to accrue to in a professional environment. Unless you are absolutely sure that the atmosphere is always a casual one where strict dress codes are not applicable, do not try to be individualistically experimental (no slippers or blue hair) this applies to women as well (no low necks, or unbelievably high hemlines).

Merits:

The outer appearance is the first thing people notice about any person and more often than not, there is an unconscious tendency of judging a person by how they look and dress. A well turned out person gives an impression of being ‘in tune’ with the requirements of a job plus, knowing you look good will boost your own confidence levels.
Cautions:

Men should not under dress by wearing jeans and tee shirts and please no crumpled clothes. This last bit applies to both. Also, in your zeal to look good do not over dress. This is especially important for women who might have a tendency to look like a Christmas tree. Too much make-up, jewellery and over glitzy clothes are not suitable.

4. Final Word:

After applying for a job and sending your resume or CV, ask someone you trust to take a mock interview (this exercise will help you prepare for the real meeting) and create answers to typical questions like, ‘why do you want to join this Company?’ ‘What are your future goals?’ Salary negotiations are bound to prop up. Keep in mind your work experience in the field. A person who has worked for five years and over will have the right to ask for a higher package than a fresh graduate; at the same time, a solid degree from a recognized and respected University adds to the strength of your educational resume. The last tip is, be punctual. Tardiness is tantamount to being fired in some places.

Content Writing for Websites

As with any other style of writing, content writing for the Internet is also led by one basic principle: knowing your audience - before you begin writing! Once you have determined who you are writing for and why they want to read you, there are only 3 things you need to do to write effectively for the Web.

AUDIENCE

The challenge in Web authoring is that the audience is often difficult to identify. But if you are interested in Web authoring, here are two facts you should know about Web readers in general:

They don’t read .

They don’t even scroll (unless you’re very lucky or they are very dedicated).
They skim or scan.

(Like you have just now!)

Why? Well, think of it. The Web is a maze of massive amounts of information, thousands upon thousands of web sites and articles competing for a surfer’s attention – and most of it useless to her. She has to make a quick decision to read on or move on. Knowing how much information is out there makes a reader move on more often than not.


They can be just about anybody. The very nature of the Internet means there are no boundaries, no limits. A news article on bio-ethics can be a single mouse click away from the recipe for apple pie. Potentially, your audience is everybody .

But, you are a budding writer and it is your job to hook a reader. You always knew that! As a Web writer, your task is just a little bit more challenging than that of print media writers. Are you going to let a little detail like that get in the way of your ambition? Of course not!

So let’s move on.

WRITING FOR AN ELUSIVE & UNPREDICTABLE AUDIENCE
The 3 Rules

Write in the ‘Inverted Pyramid’ style : Put your conclusion in the opening line. Say the most important thing you want to say immediately. Follow it up with supporting information. End with examples, background, or whatever fits the nature of your copy.


Remember that a web page is not a book, you do not have the time to build up to a punch line. Generally, a web site’s home page will give your article’s title and first 12 or fewer words as a link to the article itself. You have just those to draw in a reader, make her click on the link.

Write in an active, personal tone : Address your reader directly and use action verbs, and you’ll attract her attention fast. Most successful web content tends to be conversational in tone. A little humor goes a long way too.

Write with accuracy, brevity and honesty : Tall claims on one hand, or insufficient information on the other - both will reduce your credibility. "You can get 25% off antique furniture here " will generally snag greater interest than "World’s best discounts on antiques to be found here ". The first example has accurate information, complete information, and doesn’t sound like a boast (incidentally, it is also in an active, personalized ‘voice’).

In addition, if you use bulleted lists , succinct and meaningful headings , highlight key words and phrases , proofread your submission and swear to never ever plagiarize , you’ll be a Web hero in no time at all.

Writing a Winning Resume

Writing a Winning Resume

According to an analysis performed recently, there will be more jobs in the 21st century than there were in any previous centuries. And the new millennium shall have more information and knowledge worker jobs than in any previous decade. At the same time, there are more people seeking more jobs than any time in the past. Hence, today''s resumes need to be a lot more attractive and marketable so that they standout among others.

Why a Good Resume

Writing a good resume is imperative. It helps the interviewer understand your skill set better. It will provide him/her with the right questions to ask. It will give a good picture of what you have done and what you can do for their organization. In short, it will assist the interviewer to make the right judgment of hiring you. Hence, the time and effort that you put into creating a resume is actually investment into your future; and better the chances of you getting noticed.

Here are a few things you must take into account when creating your resume.
Provide the facts

Your resume should always reflect what you are and not what you want to be. Being imaginative and placing fictional material on your resume can only lead to trouble. In today''s world it is easy to verify any information and past work history. Therefore, it makes no sense in lying about the facts. Information contained in the resume should be accurate and factual. This will help portray you better and more accurately during the interview and selection process.

Market Yourself

This is your chance to market your skills. Use good words to clearly express your skills and capabilities. Explain whatever you have done in the past. Do not leave out anything simply because you don''t like it. Consider information from the recruiter''s point of view. They may consider some information critical that you may think trivial. Ponder before leaving out anything.

Don''t hold anything back. Market yourself thoroughly. Any activities or hobbies that you pursue should also be part of your resume. If you are an ardent Chess or Squash Player, by all means go ahead and mention it. Sometimes, these activities score high on employer''s list.

Custom Design Your Resume

Do not create a generic resume. It is imperative that your resume reflects the job requirements that you are applying against, otherwise, it may not get as much attention as compared to other contenders. There is a good chance that there are hundreds of resumes posted against the job that you applied for. If your resume does not stand out, it may get lost in the pile. Therefore, carefully read the requirements of the job and design your resume accordingly.

BrightSpyre.com has created an excellent template that encompasses all major facets of a resume. By properly filling up the areas mentioned, you can easily get a resume put together within minutes. This resume creation tool is easy to use by anyone. Therefore, use it to create a winning resume that can be sent to a prospective employer.

Interview with Squash Legend Jahangir Khan

We met up with Legendary Jahangir Khan during the recently concluded World Junior Squash Championship 2004 in Islamabad. We chatted about many things in a candid environment at the Mushaf Squash Complex in Islamabad. Even though Pakistan’s Yasir Butt lost the Individual Championship Title to Egypt’s Ramy Ashour, he had words of encouragement for all. He explained that earlier in his career he too lost the Junior Championship finals twice in a row only to strive even harder to win many a tournaments later. Here is the excerpt from the interview.

Q) This year, Pakistan had a strong contingent of six players in the quarterfinals. However, we still lost the final. Your comments? Also, what is future of Pakistan Squash?

JK) Winning and losing is all part of the game. Every player works hard for the tournament. Overall if you look at the tournament, and performance of all the players, I would say Pakistan was better off than other teams. 6 Players out of 8 made it into quarters. Then 3 out of 4 into semis is only indicative of the fact Pakistan can win the title. However, some of the players needed to play with more confidence. I have seen them train and was sure that they can be victorious. They should be a bit more confident like Ramy Ashour who played in a more professional manner and did not come under pressure for losing a game or point and played to his potential. When a player can understand this difference, then his results are bound to improve.

For such tournaments, players come from all over the world and have worked hard to win it. And despite the fact that Pakistan did not win the final, it is still an achievement to get 6 players into the top 8. This indicates that Pakistan has more choices and talent than anyone else. It is not the end of the day if you lose one final. Through this tournament they must have learned about the quality of Squash players from around the world. All they need to do now is to convert the training and match practice into winning. And they can achieve that if they believe in themselves and are confident.

Q) You saw the Pakistan contingent play at this Championship. Whom do you see as the next prospect for World Champion in the future?

JK) If you look at the Championship, you will see that all the players played very well and are also very young (between the ages of 15-18). I had seen some of them play in India in 2002 Championship and I saw their game improve since then. But the most exciting prospect of this Championship was Amir Atlas (semi finalist in this years Junior Championships). He has the biggest advantage of age as he is only 15 years old and can play Junior circuit for a few more years. He defeated some of his senior players who were better than him and also more experienced and ranked higher. After defeating them in a confident manner, he must have known about the standard of his own game and can utilize this experience to win even more matches. He has been training hard for the past year or so and if continues to train as diligently and believes in himself he can win many a tournaments in the future. In fact, he can be the next top professional in the Squash Circuit.

Q) Currently, you are the President of World Squash Federation (WSF). Are there any steps being taken to include Squash in the Olympics?

JK) For the past many years, we have been trying to include Squash in the Olympics. In fact, there are many sports like Squash, Rugby, Golf, Karate etc that are trying to make it to the Olympics. According to the IOC, only a limited athletes in the designated sports can participate in the Olympics. It is not just a matter to organize and run a tournament but to have proper facilities including room and board, training etc are to be provided equally to each athlete. Due to such constraints, only 28 sports could be included in this year’s game with around 10,000 athletes competing in them. Traditionally, Olympics only had amateur players and professionals could not participate. Today, things have changed as many teams at Olympics boast professionals in their ranks and is therefore, open to all.

Today, WSF have over 150 member countries and 15 million registered squash players worldwide. We are a popular sport that needs to be given a chance at Olympics. The Olympic committee will deliberate on the final list of the sports for 2012 games in June 2005. We do hope that they consider the popularity of Squash and decide in its favor.

Q) Computer Analysis are now becoming common in almost every sport in the world. Is this an important aspect for winning today?

JK) If you look at the big picture, you will notice that the records in Squash were made earlier not today. And they were made without computers. In fact, if computers were really helping them improve that much than they should have broken all old records by now. These are all artificial ways of assisting the players move ahead. However, if the player is genuinely talented and has the natural ability than these things do not assist him much.

Q) What are the most important things for a youngster who picks up squash as a sport?

JK) Well, I would say, he should be clear about his goals. What targets he wants to achieve? The second most import thing is passion for the game. He should also be disciplined and have faith in his abilities and time that he is willing to spend on learning and playing this sport. Hence, hard work in a structured way is required for anyone to achieve his goals.

Also, one should not be satisfied and relaxed after winning a few matches or tournaments. That is not the end of the day. One should continue to achieve even higher goals. You are a complete player the day you retire from the game and not before that.

Q) You have been involved with the game all your life. Have you ever considered coaching youngsters?

JK) I have had numerous offers to train players or national teams, but I am not planning on that right now. However, in the long run, I would like to establish an academy for Squash and would like to participate regularly in its activities and will also try to involve other coaches and players that I have worked with in the past. This academy will assist in harnessing the abundant talent available in the country.

Q) There is hardly any Pakistani now in the top 20 of Professional Squash Circuit. What needs to be done beyond what is already done to achieve a higher ranking?

JK) I don’t see any improvement can be done to our senior players. They were top players in the Junior circuit but have not performed as well later. Their contemporaries in the under 19 level are already penetrating the top 10 list. I guess, our players did not utilize the facilities to their fullest potential. Take the example of James Wilstrop. He was a former world junior champion. Today he is ranked world no 8 in less than two years. Therefore, I would advice the Pakistanis to work and train even harder than the rest to achieve higher goals. That is the only way they can win some tournaments and bring glory to Pakistan.

Interview conducted by Atif Mumtaz

Interview with Mr Farooq Hasan.

An Exclusive Interview with Mr. Farooq Hassan
Head of Personal Loans, Standard Chartered Bank

Mr. Farooq Hassan’s dynamism and an innate astuteness make him the success story of today. A unique self-starter who believes in himself, he acquired a B.Com from Halley’s College of Commerce, Lahore and then proceeded to complete a grueling Bi-Major MBA in Banking and Marketing from IBA, Karachi. Fresh out of school, he became a Management Internee in 1994, which incidentally was also his first job. Sheer hard work, good planning and a consistently clear vision have made him Head of Personal Loans, Standard Charted Bank, a remarkable feat one must admit. Being very welcoming to new comers, he gave precious advise on how to climb the corporate ladder. According to him, be consistent and avail opportunities with an affirmed belief in your capabilities. This comes in handy especially during decision-making. Success is dependent on how pleasant your personality is along with your ability to discuss issues and involve people rather than merely giving them regimental orders. Most of all, never forget dedication, which with a tinge of good luck go a long way.

Mr. Farooq Hassan’s entire demeanour speaks of his philosophy having a calm, collected air about him, which exudes an aura of complete authority. As Peter Drucker mentioned, “One does not manage institutions but one must manage people.” Today’s fast pace global arena has changed the face of management itself. A leader is “how good one can manage his people” and management has become specialized as well with HR (Human Resource) playing a vital role. HR processes may engage lengthy procedures involving advertisements, which in turn lead to the hiring of individuals who then have to be trained inorder to fit into their required posts. BrightSpyre on the other hand is the best time effective Management System around, as it makes available to an employer, prospective candidates with best possible skills in the shortest span of time.

Let us begin with the riveting interview: On Brightspyre and Human Resource Management:Conversation started with the recent trends of HR in Banking:

What are the recent trends in terms of competencies required by banks?

Farooq Hassan:
In regards with the area of Personal Loans one has to sell so skills such as verbal competence, public presentation and knowledge about the market are very important. This area requires active interaction with clients so your attitude plays a very important role. You must have a pleasant, flexible conduct as this will retain potential clients and make a better work environment for your colleagues. The field is open to both Graduates and Undergraduates.

Q: Having possessed all the above qualifications what is the next step
Farooq Hassan: After hiring, we provide training programs to fully equip our sales force according to the specifics of their job. That being done, strategies are formulated and then implemented.
Q: While sourcing employees the profile may require either a pioneering, result-oriented spirit or influence and motivation perhaps even persistence and a steadfastness to follow policy and procedures. Which one is the most suitable that Standard Chartered follows?
Farooq Hassan:
Obviously for any successful organization all of these are implemented. One must be an initiator because a pioneering spirit is inspirational. At the same time motivation along with a solid influence at being persistent and steadfast is important to results. Infact, in order to get all the work done under the set policies and procedures, a high level of persistency and steadfastness from the first initiating step till the end result both are strong requirements.
Q: How do successful companies manage their people?

Farooq Hassan: Keeping Standard Chartered in mind, which is one of the most successful institutions in the international banking sector, we must remember that good people are an asset for any organization. We use the best management techniques available to train, develop and groom our people to cope with challenges in the changing environment, at times attaching them with seniors to get on the job training and then let them go for solo flights.
Q: It is often seen that what motivates one person does not motivate another and sometimes even the best motive can be counter productive if applied indiscriminately. How do you tackle this problem?

Farooq Hassan: Nothing can be perfect until it is improved upon by realizing the dynamics of the situation and nurturing the individual’s understanding of it. That is why the best possible management skills must be used to educate and understand people otherwise there is a chance of counter productivity.
Q: What measures do you provide to increase the profitable productivity of your people?
Farooq Hassan: We promote teamwork and stress-coping strategies. The Bank also offers remunerative packages and different types of events are organized where the Employee and the Management can interact and exchange views with one another to solve problems. The purpose of all these activities is to increase individual learning, build self-esteem and confidence both in the employee as well as between the employer and the employee.
Q:Specifically speaking about Sales Professionals, what are their skill requirements

Farooq Hassan: As Sales is the most important and most interactive area in business, one must possess excellent presentation skills along with an ability to communicate well. Self-discipline and a personal initiative go hand in hand in staying ahead of the competition both within the company as well as outside. An important factor that any Sales Manager should keep as high priority on his list when dealing with his team is to infuse verbal rewards in his repertoire as this boosts morale and leads to better output. Verbal rewards along with incremental benefits must be given to get better results.
Q: How often are applicants needed and what methods have been adopted to acquire them?

Farooq Hassan: We advertise through newspapers but that is a hassle so we tried switching to an online hiring solution, Brightspyre.com. The company is unique and exclusive in that it found us candidates best suited to our requirements and that too in very little time.
Any organization can benefit from cost effectiveness and time saving along with a focused and targeted audience. This is an impressive idea, being used all over the world and is highly recommended.