Series of unfortunate work events undermining the will to be an employee I have many reasons to Blog. One reason is to expand my Blog into a cool value adding website with interesting tools and features that will make it a profitable venture. The […]
Why Amsterdam is such an underrated city! Ever since I first landed here in Europe, I have always wanted to visit Amsterdam. Everyone loves this city and talks great things about it. There are always great reviews about the Netherlands, but Amsterdam was supposed […]
Recently, I was contacted by a friend to help his young cousin out with some career advice. Honestly, I was quite fascinated by the CV and I believe that the young graduate had more experience in Machine Learning and Statistics than me.
But of course my years of experience allowed me to quickly compile some feedback that I felt was important. Living in Italy, there are a few things you learn in Europe that many Indian students fail to apply.
MBA students at the IIMs are quite aware and do thorough job in marketing themselves. Nonetheless, here is some advice for young Indian graduates who are looking for a job.
Here is my letter to the graduate looking for a job and career advice. Hope someone find this useful in some way.
“Hi,
You have a great profile and I would only advice you to stay confident and keep looking out for opportunities.
As a young graduate a little industry experience will help you develop your interpersonal and managerial skills further. After a few years of experience, I am confident you will even be able to start your own start up.
With regard to your tech skills, they are very strong.
But I think you need to work on your marketing skills. By this I mean, to be able to communicate the complicated work done in a simple language. Time to upgrade an Academic CV to a Business CV.
Firstly, I think you need to keep your work ex on top above your education. Try to elaborate it more, explaining cultural learnings etc also. Show that you are a fun person to work with.
Try to stress more on what real world benefits your skills or projects can bring. Check this out:
Imagine a busy recruiter having to scan through thousands of CVs. If you can add some action words in your CV for each project (like: Delivered, Organized, Coordinated, Analyzed, Managed, Calculated etc like these ), Try your best to stick out with some unique experience mentioned.
You can try to elaborate your experience a bit more on LinkedIn. Fill your LinkedIn up as much as you can.
Think of yourself as a Sales person selling your skills to a company or job. Hence, its important to know your technical strengths and also learn to market it.
Companies like people with decent interpersonal skills, hence stress more on team work projects and leadership roles. Make sure to add these attributes.
Focus also on some interests like hobbies. It can be anything, even traveling and cooking. If the recruiter likes the same stuff it always helps.
Most young graduates are very modest and do not market themselves well. This is my belief.
Since you have worked on Financial applications as well, you could keep targeting Banking and Quantitative Digital Marketing positions.
Let me know if you need further elaboration on this.
Will get back to you soon.
Kind regards,
Vineeth
Cleanliness Epiphany: It is never too late to learn Living in Milan for so long I have always appreciated a clean flat mate. Even more a flatmate who is willing to clean more and talk less about it. These guys always raise the […]
Sorry young Indians, we older Indians love to bully you When a country faces excessive restrictions on the civil liberties of its young population, it is nothing but bullying by older lawmakers. A sign of mistrust in the integrity of the young reflects bad on […]
Recent racial attacks on Indians in the United States is very sad. Nonetheless these incidents have been always happening around the world.
Even back home in India, many people are threatened with violence every year. This is often based on hatred due to region, religion, caste, class and even skin color.
Looking within our own society and also thriving 6 years in Italy as an Indian Expat, I have my perspective on Racism.
Arriving in Italy in 2010, as an English speaking student, I have adapted a lot. In 2016, I sold Western Union services to busy shops in the Milan city center dealing entirely in Italian.
Honestly, I have never actually faced any significant racism ever. Perhaps, because I love myself too much, I fail to see racism when people hate me.
I understand racism to be only a tool. Hence, I am always more interested in the real reason for any hate. In some cases, in a job in security or Police you may develop a bias based on experience. A security guard at a super market may get more alert on seeing certain shop lifting patterns.
Police involved in mandatory dealing with foreigners for visa, custom etc may have reasons for bias based on past experience. Nonetheless, apart from a reason for bias, there is also a reason for convenience here. This is the aspect of racism that bothers many today. It is always convenient to hate on the foreigner.
The convenience of working with a local rather than a foreigner should be a personal choice kept away from the workplace. But when this enters work, not just in certain Italian police stations, but in almost all workplaces around the world, you have a problem.
The reason is simple. if you are not a citizen your rights get considerably reduced in every country.
If employees are not prepared to work with foreigners, how are they to going to grow and develop. In the age of technology, shouldn’t the most important skills for any employee be customer service? Good customer service is selective.
As a privileged Indian spoilt brat from the city of Nizams and pearls, I can get really snobby expressing my discomfort with customer service. I try to remind myself to calm it down at the Police Station though, as I am too traumatized by youtube videos of American police brutality.
Most Italians I know are super awesome. Nonetheless, there are a$$#o£€$ in ever society. Racism is just a tool used by an a$$#o£€.
We may not be able to control racial bias in society in large quickly. But the governments can do more by looking within. No one wishes to be racist, but what if your job makes you rude like in certain Italian police stations.
I am sure my experience in other Italian police stations was much better earlier.
What if every year, the cops working at some police stations have to deal with a lot of extra responsibilities in renewing the resident permits of foreigners. A boring job that all of us hate so much. I waste a few days of the year on this, and the cops do a very mundane activity every year. The cops naturally have a reason to hate a bit on you for still remaining in this country with a short one year permit. Some of them maybe think that you are a liability to them, stealing their jobs.
Maybe this time, I will educate them about how the migrants support their pension in the future. Need to up my swag.
The foreigners stand outside for hours waiting for their turn. If any of them looks too agitated with the discomfort, he gets a piece of Italian Full Metal Jacket briefing. If any one else tried such bull shit on me, I would handle it much differently. Cops are the government’s responsibility.
A “feedback” email was sent to a related police website. A reply was received saying that it was to be sent some where else. And that is how the matter ended, till a year has passed and I make an other visit soon to a place I despise. Maybe, this year I blog about it. If no voice is raised, nothing is ever done. And there is always scope for a better society with improvement and no one is spared with criticism from MilanKaRaja.com
An Indian friend of mine was once assaulted in a Tram. He doesn’t know the nationality of the attacker who randomly picked on him. This could have been a case of an a$$#o£€ picking on an easy prey. Students with bags make easy targets. He did not speak Italian and was embarrassed feeling helpless in the situation.
Over the years, I have really learned a lot staying here. From being more defensive to going full aggressive, I believe patience in adapting is the key.
As I learned Italian doing sales, my experience dealing with some tough clients has helped me develop a verbal advantage. Maybe that is why Rap is so popular. It helps you to comeback with some nice verbal lines. Really helps to learn to embarrass the a$$#o£€ in his own mother tongue.
Intelligence and swag comes with experience. Experience in a foreign city or country involves exploring your surroundings. From spending time around the University as a student, I have also hanged out with the guys actually working in our busy streets.
From meeting important people, to speaking with the most underprivileged folk, you learn from everyone.
If you are working abroad you are already intelligent. To get the swag, and be more confident, you just need more experience.
Read more interesting stories at milankaraja.com
Milankaraja knows the best. Bushlark could be the ultimate travel app.
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A day trip to Verona on the 14th of February, 2015 will probably remain as one of the best Valentine’s day ever. It was fortunately a Saturday and weekend traveling is the norm in Milan. To celebrate those memorable moments on this auspicious day, I have finally decided to Blog about it.
I am a 29 year old Indian male btw,
who loves action movies and falls really short in comparison to the other Italian guys around when it comes to “Romance”. But circumstances with some one special can always bring out the best of the old MilanKaRaja.
Tip: Avoid pointy high heels when traveling in Italy. You walk a lot, quite often on old pebbled pathways near the city centers.
Situated near the mighty Garda lake and the Adige river, this ancient city inhabited by the Romans served as the setting for Shakespeare’s famous Romeo & Juliet. You also have an old Roman Arena or Amphitheater much bigger than the one we had in the Student Activity Center at IIT Delhi. Sitting on the top is quite scary actually. One slip and you could find yourself rolling down. I like the Colosseum in Rome too, but this amphitheater can host gladiators and a huge crowd even today.
As a setting for Shakespeare’s play, There is a building dating back to the 13th, which features the balcony where Romeo promised eternal love for his beloved Juliet in Shakespeare’s famous Romeo & Juliet. Surprisingly as we approached the Casa di Giulietta, we found ourselves surrounded by hoards of young crowd including many women from far away seeking blessings for true love. There was a very Twilight millennial commercial feel to it at first, but as the day went by and I spent more time at Verona, I too was going to be consumed in its magic. There really is much more to the place.
As we walked past the crowd, I was reminded of my temple visits in India. Love seemed to be the only religion in Verona on that Valentine’s day.
I was sure I would have a great time at Verona, as living in Italy for over 6 years, I have always enjoyed my travels within Italy amidst any weather discovering something unique from each city every time. At Verona on a rainy Valentine’s day, the idea of watching theater in the evening was a very tempting idea. Though it was in Italian, as a foreign professional seeking to improve my primary language at work, I was super excited to do a very Italian fun activity.
Back then, I commuted everyday from Milan to Turin for work. Seeking to escape from a very tiring work schedule, the thought of sitting down to do a lazy activity after strolling across Verona was quite misleading.
I was not sure of what to expect as I really had not seen much live theater since IIT Delhi. To see professionals perform in Italian was quite an interesting experience. The play that was mainly focused on 3 great actors. The brilliant young Romeo & Juliet really gave it their best convincing the audience with a lot of passionate acting. And then there was the master narrator who could easily play the lead in an Italian version of “A series of unfortunate events”. The play that focused on brilliant acting was soon going to receive a taste of Music Manoranjan (Slang for parody or spoofs that has historically been part of IIT culture) from IIT Delhi.
Verona was going to see a Bollywood Dad of our protagonist Romeo, pick a fight with the newly appointed Brazilian Dad of our pretty Juliet. Yes, theater gets interactive with audience participation! Not finding much time to shave with my busy weekly schedule, I was chosen to play Romeo’s Dad in the second part of the play, for which I participated with a rather extra enthusiasm trying my best to enchant the family crowd. I knew I could not pull out passionate acting in Italian, so I took to comedy dueling with Juliet’s Dad across the stage with such delight that was shared by many more than than just the kids in the audience.
Alla fine, or “Finally” in Italian
The actors come back and we drown ourself in the seriousness of the play again. Like how in perfume shops, you may need to refresh your sense of smell with some coffee beans, Verona’s theater got some enthusiastic audience participation that really created a great vibe on that day. I was called on to the stage and got to shake hands with the stars while receiving a standing ovation from that great crowd that was gathered that day. Its not every day that its Valentine’s day and you go to see Romeo & Juliet in Verona with your girlfriend, and you end up getting a standing ovation from the crowd. The special day factor was high that day in Verona.
I think the important thing to remember that day was that I was really enjoying myself. That really helps you to overcome any other fears like acting, public speaking or even talking with someone you like.
A few months later, I had returned to Verona again on a sunny day driving from Milan to get great lunch and then head out to a unique natural thermal spa located in the midst of nature in a park near Lago di Garda. So much for la dolce vita in Italia, meanwhile many Indians fail to see the huge business opportunity in western culture. Instead, hypocrisy is at it’s peak.
Mean while Valentine’s day in India: much different
I read about some organizations that crusade against Valentine’s day categorizing it as foreign influence meddling in Indian culture. God knows, what vested interest they have in their minds. But they surely hate taking advantage of western created events to market tourism. Mean while in Italy, Groupon sales for fun touristic activities targeting couples are always in demand. In India the trend is still to travel in big groups to keep things safer. A huge market is untapped.
I think individuals would spend more in smaller groups per person. Any interference in such a trend by morality bickering organizations should be see as anti-growth and consequently anti – national.
Recently, a new flatmate moved in to our famous Blogging apartment in Via Marochetti, Milan. We have two Bloggers presently. But many of the previous residents who now live all across the world were also in to Blogging. Hosting over 5 people a time, we see a lot of change with people staying for a bit and leaving.
Fortunately, our new flatmate is not a lazy blogger like myself. A professional Barber comes with certain cleanliness standards. Hence, our Kitchen looks so much bigger now with all the space.
Each flatmate, has inspired me in some way to Blog. This is what connecting the dots mean
Very often the best of inspiration can come from the least expected place. Your own apartment. That is why it is a good habit to invite guests and be friendly. Everyone teaches you something. If you keep people away, you miss out on enjoying something new.
Verona on that day was glad they got to see some Bollywood acting. One new flower in the garden always makes it prettier.
Finally, one more thing, I also met my Valentine companion at Via Marochetti.
Read more interesting stories at milankaraja.com
Milankaraja knows the best. Look no more. Bushlark could be the ultimate travel app.
Life of the eternal Nomad Born in India’s Tech Capital, Bangalore in 1987, the earliest childhood memories I recall are from my early seven years in God’s Own Country, Kerala. Living in Kottayam & Cochin as a non Malayalam speaking kid, I picked up English […]
