Land Surveying General Requirements

To become a NYC land surveyor, you must have a land surveying license. Licensure is fairly straightforward, but you have to fill out some forms establishing that you have met all of the requirements. The specific requirements are all outlined in New York’s Education Law: Title 8, Article 145, Section 7206-a as well as the Commissioner’s Regulations Part 68. It is also recommended, but not required that you read the general licensing information that applies to all professions in New York. An overview of the requirements is as follows:

• Must be 21 years of age or older
• Meet education requirements
• Meet examination requirements
• Meet experience requirements
• Be of good moral character

The Application for Licensure form and other forms must be filed along with sending an application fee to the Office of the Professions. The fees must be paid at the time of application in the form of a personal check or money order made payable to the New York State Education Department. You may need to follow-up some of the forms with additional materials depending on your situation. If fees are increased retroactively, you will be billed for the difference. If you withdraw your application before licensure is complete, you may be eligible for a partial refund.

After submitting your initial application and appropriate fees, you will receive an examination eligibility letter with instructions on how to proceed to the next step of the process.

About the Examination

Before taking the examination for land surveying in NY, the Department must determine that you are eligible based on the initial forms submitted with your application. There are three separate parts to the examination, which cover different parts of the profession. You may not be eligible to take all three at once, but all three must be taken and passed before you receive your license.

Part 1 of the examination is the Fundamentals of Surveying (FS). Part 2 is the Principles and Practice of Surveying (PS). The final part, Part 3, is the New York State Specific Land Surveying examination, which only applies to the state of New York.

The fees paid when applying for licensure as a NYC land surveyor also cover the evaluation of your examination, as well as your three-year license registration. Your license is valid for three years from the date that it is issued.

About the Education and Experience Requirements

The education requirements and experience requirements to become a NY land surveyor can be interchangeable. These requirements vary in different situations. You need a combination of education and experience that adds up to at least eight years beyond high school. Applicants receive credit for their post-high school education, which determines how many years of experience are then required. For example, with a 4-year college degree, an applicant would need four years of relevant work experience.

Your education experience needs to be within approved and accredited programs. They can be baccalaureate and associate degrees as well as master’s programs and title certification programs. All surveying-related titles received must be accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology or ABET. Degrees and programs can be in many survey-related fields such as surveying, engineering for surveying, or survey engineering technology.

Depending upon the course content of other unlisted degree programs, you may be awarded other education credits toward your land surveying in NY education requirements. All transcripts must be turned in with your initial Application for Licensure form.

Required experience, as mentioned before, is based on your education experience. All experience is evaluated by the State Board for Engineering and Land Surveying. For an experience to be accredited it must meet some its requirements:

• 50% must be spent in charge of work relating to boundary line determination and property conveyance
• Demonstrate proficiency in technical aspects of surveying
• Demonstrate proficiency in office aspects
• Demonstrate adequate experience in the legal aspects
• Demonstrate direct supervision of experience by an already-licensed land surveyor
• Include two years of work on projects that require knowledge and use of surveying codes

Surveys known as “stake-out” and “line and grade” surveys do not provide adequate training in and of themselves unless they also include “right-of-way” surveys. The two former types of surveys do not have to be performed under a licensed surveyor. You should be able to use all current surveying equipment and be able to measure structures, space, water, and land to determine correct elevations, areas, boundaries, locations, and alignments. You must be able to analyze field data, be able to appropriately research public as well as private land records. Supervision of field and office personnel is also extremely important.

All experience for land surveying in NY must be evaluated, and you must include it on the Report of Professional experience, which is one of the forms included in your application. Be specific about your duties and the complexity of the work you performed.

Although only a few decades old, the information technology or IT field is as broad and deep as industries that have been around for centuries. IT job categories, titles and specialties abound – so many that anyone investigating IT as a career is likely to be very, very confused. What’s the difference between a Network Engineer and a Network Support Analyst? Between a Web Developer, a Web Designer and a Web Technology Specialist? Just what does a Database Administrator do?

Although labels and responsibilities tend to vary from employer to employer, here are some common IT job titles and their descriptions. Consider these when looking for an IT career that best suits your interests, talents and temperament:

Database Administrator – A database is any collection of information that a company or organization keeps on file (e.g. customer names, addresses, inventory, etc.) The Database Administrator (DBA) is in charge of organizing, maintaining and updating this database and creating systems so that people authorized to view, add or remove information are able to do so as quickly and as easily as possible.

Internet Solutions Developer – This is a “catch-all” description for a person responsible for devising and executing Internet-based projects. The job usually involves working with programs that allow the public to view and interact with a company, organization or agency’s Website.

IT Project Program Manager – This is a managerial position requiring some years of experience in the IT field. The IT Project Program Manager is responsible for finding solutions to IT-related problems and then implementing those solutions, often with the help of a team.

Network Administrator – A “network” is any collection of computers that are linked either to each other or to a central server so that information can be created, shared and updated. The Network Administrator is generally responsible for making sure than an existing network runs smoothly and for adding or removing hardware (computers, printers, etc.) and software (programs, applications) from the system.

Network and Security Specialist – The Network and Internet Security Specialist is the person responsible for making sure people who use a computer network only get access to that information they are allowed to see, that information in the network database’s is protected and properly preserved, and that the network cannot be accessed (or “hacked”) by unauthorized individuals, wherever they may be.

Network Engineer – The network engineer is usually responsible for 1) Designing new computer networks, 2) Actually creating these networks, 3) Installing the computers and software that connect to the networks and, 4) Ensuring the network is able to grow and function as needed.

Network Support Analyst – A Network Support Analyst is much like a Network Administrator in that he/she is responsible for keeping an existing network operating as needed, but has fewer managerial responsibilities. The Network Support Analyst may also be responsible for monitoring how people actually use the network, identifying problem areas and then recommending and implementing solutions.

Software Developer/Engineer – “Software” is the set of instructions that make a computer do what you want it to do. The Software Developer/Engineer is the person who writes the instructions, also known as “code,” for these computer programs/applications. Software Developer/Engineers may work “in-house” developing customized programs for a specific employer or client, or may work on programs that are then sold commercially.

Technical Support Specialist – Computers and networks invariably have problems, and it’s the Technical Support Specialist’s job to identify these problems and find a way to correct them. Technical Support Specialists often work at “help desks” where they communicate with company employees or customers by phone, IM or email.

Web Developer – Web Developers create, maintain and update the functional aspects of Websites, be they on the Internet or on a company’s internal Intranet. When designing a new site, they’re usually responsible for creating its architecture, navigation and interactive functions. They may also be responsible for creating programs or applications designed specifically for the Web.

Web Designer – While the Web Developer is concerned with the technical aspects of a Website or Web-based application, the Web Designer is responsible for how such a site or application actually looks. This is an artistic position that requires training and experience in graphic design and layout – and perhaps even animation — as well as the technical aspects of Web operations.

Web Technology Specialist – This position combines the responsibilities of the Web Developer and Web Designer. The Web Technology Specialist needs to not only the technical aspects of Websites and applications, but also needs to frequently handle the design and graphic aspects as well.

If you are considering career training in Information Technology, you need to understand these (and other) job descriptions so you can pursue the education and training that will qualify you for the kind of IT job that fits your talent and personality.

Maybe it’s a bit jaded of me, but I think of company profiles the same way I think of Wikipedia entries – a hodgepodge of basic-as-Ben-Stiller information that’s not particularly interesting, but always necessary to have on hold.

The reason we create company profiles in investment banking is for use when analyzing the competitive landscape of our client company’s industry and for using in presentations to the client about possible deals (who can they buy, who can buy them, who to watch out for).

Company profiles also help us keep tabs on who’s doing what and where each player fits in – very CIAish I know.

What does a company profile literally consist of?

It depends on what it’s being used for.

In say a basic ‘Market Update’ PowerPoint presentation going out to a client, each company profile (of the client’s competitors/suppliers/customers etc) may only be a one slide summary with a 3 sentence description, 5 numbers/multiples, recent news etc – this super succinct form occurs when say 5-15 competitors are being profiled at once in a basic presentation.

In it’s longer form, say if you were detailing every potential acquisition target in a formal pitch book (!), a company profile could include several slides that straddle everything from historical financials to extensive qualitative descriptions of the company’s revenue streams to detailed analysis of specific parts of the company (to suit the immediate usage requirements).

In this form the company profile gets heavy and moves beyond the realm of mere Wikipedia copycat!

Because company profiles are often merely a collection of simple information scattered beautifully across a few slides, they’re considered Intern Level Work and will probably be one of the first things your analyst-mentor will palm off to you come summer. As you can see from the above, you don’t need a 3.8 GPA from Stanford to pull these off.

How should you go about prepping for company profiles?

When you get into the bank flick read through a couple past examples, internalize the language, structure, components, and metrics used, and quite soon you’ll know how to create company profiles without even referencing precedent samples.

The first thing you will notice when reading past examples is how tranquilizer-esque they are; they’ll put you to sleep in an instant.

The data, the language, the facts, the summary – it’s all so common knowledge and BS sounding. But your job is not to win a freaking Excel or creative writing competition so don’t try to break with convention and pen some Charles Dicken prose or engineer some insanely original multiples when you’re asked to give it a go.

Instead play it safe and create company profiles that blend in, not stand out

If you want to impress bankers here then all you need to do is present with extreme succinctness – super industrious language paired with only the really important numbers/graphs etc will wow bankers since it saves them time and hides the “who cares” details.

Some students think they need to find interesting facts and figures about the company that aren’t readily accessible via a company search on some half-rate intelligence database to impress here.

But trust me when I say finding uber original info like this is time consuming and really not expected – and when you’ve had 2 hours sleep in 2 days why would you get all sadomasochistic on yourself with some freaking primary research?

That said, you can’t create all your company profiles by simply grabbing text from a database search, or (and yes this is very common) copy-pasting a Wikipedia entry on the company or text from the company’s own website!!

Instead you need to write from scratch using the tone/type of language and exact structure you see in the banks existing company profiles, and with the type of conciseness you see in these; as well as drawing your figures and numbers directly from the original sources and condensing them into their most essential and insightful form (just like with spreading comps – which we talk about below).

ie you have to summarize the summarizers, but do it accurately and in a client friendly way.

As an investment banking intern you’ll probably more often than not be asked to simply update or double-check existing company profiles.

This can really suck if the intern or first year banking analyst who made the existing profiles did an awful job on them, because bankers will expect a mere ‘update’ to take you no time at all, and yet you’ll almost be making profiles from scratch!!

Although you are all bright eyed and bushy tailed now, don’t be disheartened if you make dozens of company profiles and they never get read – such is the nature of them. ie banks will want profiles on hand for ‘just in case’ a client requests them, or a deal takes heat.

If you have an investment banking internship coming up or are starting your analyst program soon you should check out the most common tasks junior bankers perform. In this article we list the top 39 and explain the what/why/how so you can get a flying head start.

With the focus on the environment, a hot new career opportunity awaits those with expertise in energy efficiency or environmental topics. Being environmentally friendly is a trend among big business right now. Not only does it make a company look better in their marketing efforts, but it saves them money too. This emphasis on being “green” means that career opportunities for environmental and energy consultants will continue to explode over the next decade or so.

Energy consultants provide expertise and advise companies how to cut costs by becoming more energy efficient. As an energy consultant, you may analyze your clients’ utility bills to track patterns in energy usage. You may also help them devise the most energy efficient means by which to run their factory, heat their office buildings, or run their equipment.

Environmental consulting is a broader area. Environmental consultants may deal with energy consumption, but can also advise businesses on areas where they can cut back on consumption, reduce waste and shrink their overall environmental footprint. Environmental consultants could be specialists in a number of different areas, including waste reduction, natural resource management, wildlife preservation, water pollution, and air or land contamination.

To become an energy and environmental consultant, you should have a degree in engineering or geology. An advanced degree in engineering, geology, or business would put you ahead of your competition at the start. You should also have the ability to communicate with upper level executives and decision makers comfortably, because these are the people you will be dealing with on a day-to-day basis.

To be successful as a consultant, education alone won’t be enough. You’ll need real-world, hands-on experience and a track record that proves you know your stuff. So if you’re aspiring to be the next big environmental consultant for big business, you’ll need to gain some experience working for someone else before breaking out on your own.

If you’re an expert in any area relating to environmental concerns or energy management, and you already have several years experience and a proven track record of improving processes, reducing waste, and saving money, you’re in a great position to start your own consulting business. If your experience lies in a specific area, you may have an added advantage over your competition because you’ll be considered a specialist.

Consider the following things when deciding whether a career in energy or environmental consulting is right for you:

o Are you an adept researcher?

o Do you have relationships with potential clients?

o Are you comfortable both in the field and in a business suit, giving a presentation to a group of senior level executives?

o Are you a problem solver?

o Are you able to take complex information and break it down into easily understandable terminology for laypeople?

o Are you a skilled communicator?

o Do you have specialized knowledge in the energy and/or environmental industries that could help businesses improve their processes, save money, and reduce waste?

o Are you comfortable networking, building up a list of contacts and marketing your own services to organizations?

o Do you constantly stay abreast of new developments in your field?

If you’ve answered yes to most of the above questions, you’re probably very well-suited to independent consulting. Take advantage of your expertise, and start owning your own talent. You’re ready to embark on the hottest new career path in independent consulting!

Recently in America the new President Mr. Donald Trump has been elected as the 45th president of America, during so his action or executive order of America was to have a travel ban put in place against Muslim Countries. Trump’s list of countries consisted of Syria, Iran, Libya, Sudan, and Yemen. These countries were selected to be affected by the travel ban due to a previous terrorist attack that occurred in America for example 9/11, which lead to 3,000 people being killed, a catastrophe for America if I might say.

Trump’s executive order

Mr. Trump’s executive order stated that citizens from the 7 countries were banned from coming into the United States for up to three months. The order was signed in early February which causes a up roaring with lawsuit towards the Trump administration. Six weeks later Mr. Trump revised his executive order. The new measures will block citizens of Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from obtaining visas for at least 90 days. The order also suspends admission of refugees into the US for 120 days, directing US officials to improve vetting measures for a program that is already widely regarded as extremely stringent” (Vogue, Diamond, Liptak). Iran was taking off the list due to the Prime minster of Iraqi and Mr. Trump’s administration conversing those conversations were followed by discussions between Tillerson and members of the Iraqi government about vetting measures in place that would prevent suspected terrorists from leaving Iraq and coming to the United States. Iraq did not implement new measures; rather, the country provided more details to US officials about how it screens travelers” (Vogue, Diamon, Liptak). This shows that the travel ban could have been avoided indefinitely instead of creating an up roaring on non-American citizens.

With Trump’s executive order in place, how does that effect America economically? Colleges in America have a demographic of not only American citizens but refugees from other countries looking to gain an education and live a better life. With the travel ban in place those individuals from other countries may not be able to fulfill those aspirations. Refugees have been looking at America as an unwanted place to go to school due to the new executive order. A new survey has found that almost one in three prospective international students has less interest in studying in the U.S. About 69% reported that the main reason was “concerns about the U.S. presidential administration” (Skrentny). America is well known for science and engineering. Natalie Novick reveals that computer science graduate programs in the U.S. typically have about 60% foreign-born students, and electrical engineering’s reliance on immigrants is even higher-upwards of 70% foreign-born studying in the U.S., at least one of the states on Trump’s list of dangerous states- Iran-is a major contributor of STEM students in the U.S. According to the Institute of International Education, Iranian students are more likely to study STEM fields than students in any other country (Skrentny). With that being said International students are the highest contributors who pay for higher education and some of the money goes towards the local economy.

I am personally against the travel ban because with the way the country is designed, there’s no way to single out a person or a country to determine who will cause a terrorist attack. With America being the place that advertises the American dream a lot of refugees tend to come here for a better living and a new start on life. And statistic shows that Foreign students benefit the majority of cost for higher education and are the highest percentage of STEM students. I know Mr. Trump slogan for his presidential campaign was to “Make America Great Again” by going back to the older ways of how America was ran, but is that what America really needs. Where will the funding come from for youth coming out of high school to go to college, and how will these university stay open without the funding of students from enrollment. Mr. Trump is pushing back the possibility of making America great through globalization from a fear of terrorist attacks, when the last attacks that have occurred were from individuals who were American born citizens for example the shooting in the Orlando Club in 2016, and Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013. Overall it begins to make you question exactly what is the government doing behind the scenes that is causing other countries to want to inflict destruction on America, and how is Mr. Trump being tied into the equation. That’s a question we as American citizens have to ask ourselves.

Skrentny, J. D. (2017, March 16). Trump’s Revised Travel Ban Hurts America’s Universities. Retrieved April 20, 2017, from http://fortune.com/2017/03/16/trump-revised-travel-ban-u-s-colleges/

Vogue, A. D., Diamond, J., & Liptak, K. (2017, March 07). Trump signs new travel ban, exempts Iraq. Retrieved April 20, 2017, from http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/06/politics/trump-travel-ban-iraq/

Admittedly, the traditional recruiting process is expeditious from a time-to-fulfillment perspective and in the short run is very cost effective. It consists of the following five steps:

A. Review the job description, write an ad specifying the hard-skills of the position, and begin collecting resumes.

B. Select the top 3 to 6 resumes of candidates for face-to-face interviews who on-paper represent the hard-skills, experience, and salary requirements that best match the job.

C. Allow the hiring manager, to whom the open position reports, the freedom to single-handedly implement a free-form personal interview process that unconsciously emphasizes hard-skills, experience, and likability.

D. Check 1 or 2 personal references of the candidates or just accept the letters of recommendation that the candidates bring to the interviews. (This step is often skipped because of time constraints and because the candidate made such a good impression in the interview that he/she couldn’t have any “baggage” that would disqualify him/her.)

E. Make an offer of employment to the candidate who best “sold” him/herself in the interview.

One cannot argue with the short cycle time of the interviewing phase of this traditional recruiting process. However, the objective is not to make a decision in the shortest amount of time and at the lowest cost. The objective is to hire the best person who will “fit” the position and will be fulfilled enough with the job and with the culture of the organization to become a long-term, productive employee.

The interviewing process used by most organizations is not a process at all but rather a “beauty contest” approach to hiring. Many managers use what I loosely call “techniques” such as likability, gut-feel, and chemistry in selecting the person to hire. Here are the top 15 mistakes the typical interviewer makes as well as my recommendations for resolving the issues.

1. Most interviewers make a like or dislike decision about a candidate within the first 5 to 15 minutes of an interview and spend the balance of the time confirming their first impressions – positive or negative impression. This first impression will often taint the interviewer’s perception of the answers received. (e.g., A candidate who is perceived negatively will have his/her answers judged more critically than a person who is perceived more positively.)

RECOMMENDATION: Interviewers should make a conscious effort to reserve any judgment for at least 30 minutes to allow any nervousness on the part of the candidate to dissipate. Very often, a candidate who does not make a positive first impression can really shine as the interview progresses, while the candidate with a great first impression begins to diminish as the interview questions require more specificity.

2. If the interviewer’s first impression is positive and the interviewer uses an unstructured interview process, the interviewer usually begins asking “softball” questions for the candidate to hit a “homerun.” Similarly if the interviewer’s impression of the candidate is negative in this free-form interview process, the interviewer usually ends up asking “hardball” questions which has the tendency to confirm the interviewer’s already negative impression. Both of these situations become a self-fulfilling prophesy in that the interviewer will see what he/she expects to see, rather than looking at the facts objectively.

RECOMMENDATION: Use a structured interview process that levels the playing field for all candidates and reserve initial judgments for at least 30 minutes.

3. If the interviewer’s first impression is positive in an unstructured interview process, the interviewer usually asks fewer questions of the candidate and quickly switches into a “selling mode” in which the interviewer now tries to “sell” the applicant on the organization.

RECOMMENDATION: Use a structure interview format, which creates a more legally defensible interviewing process because it asks all the candidates the same questions. Also be sure to separate the process of gathering information about the candidate from the processes of promoting (selling) the company, making a decision, and negotiating an offer. Each of these processes is different.

4. Many interviewers have a few favorite questions and unofficial tests that they believe are keys to vetting a candidate. (Test Example: An HR Manager who walks candidates to their car to assess the cleanliness of the inside of the vehicle.) Unfortunately, “clever” questions and tests are not supported by statistical evidence that proves the conclusions that the manager believes they prove. There is no empirical evidence that concludes with any degree of certainty that the cleanliness of an applicant’s car is directly related to the quality of his/her work. That is not to say that this hypothesis cannot be proven to be true. However, the interviewer would need to statistically validate his/her conclusions, rather than creating a homegrown test.

RECOMMENDATION: Use a structured interview process that utilizes work-related interview questions, rather than a free-form and unstructured process. Also, forget any personally concocted questions (trick or clever questions), tests, or systems for making “go” or “no go” decisions. Stick to the responsibilities and goals of the open position and you will have plenty of material with which to assess a candidate.

5. Many interviewers assume that the top performers in an interview will also be the best employees.

RECOMMENDATION: Utilize an interview process that is less influenced by the personality and performance of the candidate and more heavily weighted to the quality of the answers and the actual or comparable experiences of the candidates that match the position.

6. Most interviewers don’t have the skills to “coach” candidates to give complete answers to interview questions. As such, less articulate candidates may be overlooked if the face-to-face interview is the only tool utilized.

RECOMMENDATION: Use a variety of forms and techniques in order to get complete details about a candidate and his/her accomplishments.

7. Many interviewers only look at a candidate’s experience and education. Then, they assume that if these two criteria match the needs of the position, the person is a good match for the job.

RECOMMENDATION: Utilizing only a hard-skills match for a position is a mistake. There are many Harvard MBAs who have the education and experience to be senior executives, but lack the interpersonal and leadership skills to effectively run an organization. I recommend a simple formula: Education + Experience + Soft Skills + Values + Personality + Performance + Intelligence + References = A Good Employee. The formula breaks down as follows:

a. Education + Experience (exact or comparable experience) = Admission of the candidate to the Soft Skills Interview phase of the Program.

b. A successful Soft Skills Phone Interview = Admission to the Onsite Interview where Values, Personality, Performance, and Intelligence are assessed.

c. A successful Onsite Interview = Strong consideration pending Reference Checks.

8. Most managers are not good at interviewing because they interview infrequently. A 1998 survey in HR Magazine noted that 39% of candidates stated their #1 frustration with interviewers was that the interviewers were “not prepared and not focused during the interview.”

RECOMMENDATION: Use a structured process with specific forms and interview questions that will take the spotlight off the interviewer and place the spotlight where it should be, on the candidate.

9. Most interviewers cannot articulate the culture and values of their organizations. As such, they are not well prepared to conduct a thorough investigation of the values of a candidate to determine if the values of the candidate are aligned with the values and culture of the company.

RECOMMENDATION: Use a process that forces a candidate to expose his/her values and engages the candidate in a meaningful discussion of those values relative to the values and culture of the organization.

10. Most interviewers do not intimately know the job. By intimate, I mean the actual processes and performance standards that are necessary for success in a given position. Most interviewers have a basic understanding of a simplified list of job duties for an open position, but lack the detail knowledge of the position. With only a general understanding of a position, interviewers can easily gravitate to candidates with similar experiences and bypass candidates with great potential who only have comparable experiences.

RECOMMENDATION: Interviewers need to create a thorough job description similar to the process-oriented job descriptions. A process-oriented job description (see sample at http://www.hrcontrarian.com/dfy_description_evaluation/) identifies the major responsibilities and process steps along with related performance standards. A process-oriented job description also identifies the top 10 soft-skills required for the position, the organizational impact of each responsibility, the experiences needed, and the physical and mental demands of the position.

11. Most interviewers try to memorize the questions that they want to ask a candidate, whether they use an unstructured or structured interview format, and then hope that they will remember a candidate’s answers when it comes time to make a decision in a week or two.

RECOMMENDATION: Use a printed list of interview questions that you can physically hand to the candidate. The result will be a process that takes the burden off the interviewer trying to remember the questions and it will allow the interviewer to concentrate on the candidate’s answers. Additionally, the interviewer can use his/her copy of the questions as an assessment tool by checking off the question in a coded fashion to distinguish acceptable and unacceptable responses, which will help in the post-interview assessment of the candidate. The interviewer should also make notes to remember significant accomplishments of the candidate that can be reviewed later.

12. Most interviewers tend to “hire in their own image,” rather than the image that fits the position.

RECOMMENDATION: Interviewers need to understand their own behavioral strengths and weaknesses and the behavioral profile required for the open position before interviewing any candidates.

13. Most face-to-face interviews are conducted with just two people in the room – the candidate and the interviewer.

RECOMMENDATION: Always conduct interviews in conjunction with at least one other interviewer, which will allow you to confirm your reactions to a candidate’s answers and body language. NEVER interview alone!

14. Most interviewers waste valuable time on face-to-face interviews with candidates who are well qualified for the position but who are not willing to take the position because of the unusual demands of the job, the salary, the benefits, the location of the job, the non-compete agreement that must be signed, or other reasons that may be deal-breakers.

RECOMMENDATION: Use an initial 30-minute phone interview to talk to the best candidates about the position and any of these potential deal-breakers. This is the first step to negotiating an offer (testing the offer) and a major time saver for the hiring manager.

15. Most managers assess the motivation and energy of a candidate by the person’s display of extroverted qualities such as assertiveness and confidence, while assuming that a more introverted or quiet applicant has less initiative and energy.

RECOMMENDATION: Let the accomplishments of the candidate speak for the person’s motivation, energy, and work ethic and stop falling into the trap of being swayed by the social skills and exterior mannerisms of an applicant who may simply be a good actor.

The Secrets To Hiring Success Program offered by Lukesh Consulting Group (LCG) is specifically designed to remove these 15 mistakes from the hiring process. To learn more about the Program, visit the LCG website at http://www.HRcontrarian.com and click on the link titled, Secrets To Hiring Success Program.

Kouksundo (also Kouk Sun Do or SunDo) is an ancient Korean practice; it was developed by Taoist monks. A combination of meditation and breathing techniques provide the very essence of the art. Kouksundo teaches us how to achieve balance with the rhythm of nature, the energies of the Universe, and our own inner energies. This in turn creates stronger health of body, mind, and spirit.

By learning and using traditional techniques directed at establishing highly optimized overall strength, one embarks upon a journey of growth, and will soon be experiencing improvement within their health and overall life. It may at first sound like big words, possibly with little substance; but in truth, the key to healthy and abundant living lies within having the body, mind and spirit run as a harmonized unit; Kouksundo was built upon this very principle.

A Look at How This Works

The breathing and meditation techniques of Kouksundo teach us to optimize the intake of life-giving Ki (or chi) energy. We learn to store it in centers (danjeons) of the body; we also learn to circulate that pure healing energy via channels throughout the body. Ki energy not only heals, but is also the source of vigor, vitality, and robustness in health.

Kouksundo teaches you how to breathe in the most natural and optimal way for your body. We are at birth equipped with the ability to breathe in this manner, and as we grow we gradually learn inferior ways to do what would best remain as it was. Learning to breathe naturally once again is a key element to lung health, and subsequently to optimizing the distribution of revitalizing energies throughout the body.

Meditation

We can learn basic meditation techniques from just about any source, and with relative simplicity too. But if we take the time to learn the more specific ways of Kouksundo to target meditation towards improving our physical and mental health, we are then taking the initiative to master a highly refined technique that is commonly used in Korea as a healing method, and has been for over 9000 years.

Through practicing Kouksundo one can gain a deeper degree of mental clarity. In daily life, with stress, work, and family issues to deal with; we often get frazzled and that’s when thoughts scatter. By using the meditation practices taught us through Kouksundo, we can learn once again to add focus and solidity to scattered thought patterns.

How Does Spirituality Apply?

On a basic level, Ki energy is the very essence of our spiritual health. And too, meditation is one of the most effective ways to promote spiritual growth.

What Exactly is Kouksundo?

Kouksundo is sometimes referred to as a martial art, and at other times as a meditation technique. The truth lies somewhere in between. When the art was in its infancy, in the mountains of what is now Korea, the practice began as a martial art/healing art combination. There came a time when it was decided that the practice would continue focused entirely upon its healing benefits (which are certainly not limited to meditation alone). This doesn’t necessarily mean that it is not a martial art though, as there are other practices considered martial arts that began as methods of self-defense, then at some point turned to evolve in another direction. They are referred to as martial arts just the same.

Like any other Industry, Insurance Industry too is hard pressed to keep coming up with innovative customer centric products and delivering the services at world-class quality. Large volume of data keeps on getting generated in our day-to-day life, which we have to capture or ignore depending on what we want to do with them. These captured data are stored, retrieved and analyzed to convert to useful information that may lead to better products in service industry. Not only this, best practices need to be adopted, the workflow needs to be automated, intelligent features need to be built and all these need to be implemented smartly to the delight of the customers. Under these circumstances, no organization can overtake in terms of performance a strategically automated organization without a more strategically correct automation.

Automation project passes through certain phases starting from feeling the need of automation to reaping the benefits of automation. Normally in huge organizations, there are implementation partners in such projects. For the Insurance companies, such automation projects are their lifeline. A poor implementation in major project may result in big operational troubles, huge business loss and even closure of operations. While for the implementation partner, it is just another project. If the implementation partner is well-reputed one in the industry, they can easily manage with one failure. The present scenario raises bigger concern due to the fact that many of the implementation partners are able to do reasonably good business even after multiple failures. So, more is on stake for the insurance companies than their technology implementation partners. Operations staff has important role to play in each of the phases of automation project to insure their organization against failure. The importance of their role can be better understood by using the following analogy of house construction.

If we decide to get our house constructed, we have to first determine our requirements, which we want our house to meet. We can have two approaches. In one we can think like what is there in determining the requirements for a house. Just look at the family distribution, size of the land and decide something like 3 BHK or 4 BHK, and assume that the builder knows rest of the things. So, why to take pain of putting more thoughts on requirements? The other approach may be that we talk to each of the users of the house. Take their expectations and then workout the requirements. Each of the users is expert of his area. It’s he only who knows the difficulty he faces while walking from his bed to the toilet in night. He should recall all such difficulties and also the improvements that he desires at the time of requirement determination stage itself. Remember that shifting a wall by even an inch after it has been constructed will cost heavily and in many cases it may not be possible. In most of the cases it is these few inches here and there which forces one to shift the bed before opening the wardrobe or climb on the study table to open the window etc. Just think about the operational difficulties an Insurance company will face for similar mishaps in requirement determination of automation projects. It will become pain in the neck forever.

After we have our wish list ready in the house construction project, we approach an Architect who is expert in giving design to meet such requirements. He helps us out in correcting our expectations, which can go both ways – increase or decrease. Finally he prepares a design, which is accepted by the user for future construction. Civil Engineers who give the detail of foundation, beams, columns etc then convert this design to detailed design. Till this stage, if we change our requirement it can probably be included but it will be an irritant to the designer. Obviously, it will have impact on the project cost and time too. Also, we the users should check that the design meets the finalized expectations before accepting it. It’s not a casual task of overlooking at the design and saying that yah! It looks like a house design that I want, so go ahead.

In automation project too, once the requirements are finalized, we either approach a software company if we want customized software to be developed, or approach some software vendors who we expect to have software meeting our requirements. Initially, these software vendors will be mapping our requirements in their software solution and presenting that to us. This is an activity similar to considering various layouts given by the Architect in house construction project. If in the claim settlement process, searching and finding the policy document has been a problem area very frequently, then the solution provider will be coming up with some ECM product. If claim intimation or communication to surveyor or submission of survey reports are trouble areas then one will look towards better communication modes and work-flow automation. Various solutions need to be evaluated very carefully and checked against the requirements outlined. It is also the role of the IT vendor at this stage to correct the expectations of the users.

Coming back to the house construction project, the construction starts after finalization of the design. Users can relax now if they have been able to communicate clearly about their requirements and the construction work is in able hands. One can think that if the work is in able hands then the users can relax earlier too. But it is not so. Experts can take care of the construction part completely, but in determining requirements they can at the most assist. During this phase users can visit the site at critical stages and get some fine adjustments done if the need be. In the automation project too, once the IT solution is selected, it’s time of customization. Or, if new software is to be developed, the development starts after finalization of design. Users may relax. At the most, they can have occasional inspection to check that project is moving as per the schedule.

In automation projects, there is another very important phase of users testing to get sure that they are getting what they wanted. In many projects, operations staffs now attain the desired level of seriousness and start coming up with new ideas. It is well understood that they have to be part of such project in addition to their regular activities. So, in earlier phases they feel that project completion time is far ahead. And do not pay enough attention to the requirement determination etc. But when the time of testing and acceptance comes, they become serious. Virtually, they convert this testing phase to requirement determination phase. On the other side the implementation partner has already completed the task of development/ configuration as per the requirement documented earlier. They would like to be tested against those requirements only. Such situations are harmful to the project. Criticality of the new requirements identified at this stage decides the fate of the project.

It’s the time of implementation now. Once the house is constructed and accepted by the user, it’s the time to shift. One can live in the new house in better way if the garbage of the previous house is disposed of there itself. Also, this offers an opportunity to get better organized. One may feel some inconvenience because of certain changes. For some days one may consider it too troublesome if he has to walk longer to reach to the washbasin. But he will also realize that now his sleep will not get disturbed if there is any leakage or someone opens the tap. Soon the users get used to the facilities of the new house and then start living happily thereafter. Similarly in automation project too, it brings certain changes in working style. General Manager of the company may be used to seeing the hard copy of the daily reports submitted to him. May be that he will have to see it online after implementation of new system. It may look inconvenient to him to generate such reports online, but then he may realize that it gives updated information all the time.

Then comes the regular maintenance and change management as and when need be. Thus, automation projects pass through phases like requirement determination, system study, analysis, design, development, testing, implementation, operation, maintenance, change management etc. In fact it’s the same with every kind of project and in every industry whether it is Insurance, Banking, Telecom or Manufacturing or anything else. The cost of error in various phases may vary depending on project and industry.

Automation projects do not aim at simply automating the data capture, storage, retrieval, analysis, workflow etc., but it also aim at integrating different systems at different levels, adoption of best practices, business intelligence and so on. It’s useful to recall once again that such projects are lifeline for the business organization but for an IT implementation partner it is just another project. Business organization has to play their role very carefully and take the best from the IT implementation partner also ensuring that they get all the benefits for which the project was initiated.

Majoring in accounting can open many doors for your future. Students entering the accounting field has grown in the past couple years. So why do people become accountants and why are accountants so successful? Accounting firms are looking for young accounting majors, they are recruiting and offering scholarships and signing bonuses to college graduates. Josee Rose from the Wall Street Journal said that “According to the National Association of Colleges and Employer’s 2008 job-outlook survey, accounting is the No. 1 bachelor’s degree in demand by employers.” Even with the economy in its place right now there is still demand for new accountants.

Accounting is considered the language of business and accounting shows how businesses are doing and what needs help. There are many different positions that an accountant can hold. They can become a public accountant, who provide auditing, tax, accounting and consulting services to businesses and individuals, public accountants can be in a firm or by working for themselves. Areas in public accounting include auditing which is the most important function of being a CPA, a large percentage of time in firms is spent auditing. Accounting and review services consist of maintaining accounting records to performing compilation. CPA firms do numerous of the taxes for many companies and individual clients. They prepare and review tax returns, tax planning and tax litigation. CPAs also do management services; which consists of consulting or management advisory services. This can include computer systems, management information systems, marketing, executive recruiting, personal financial planning, and budgeting techniques. There are so many jobs within accounting and so many different options for accounting majors.

Accountants can also be private industry accountants. In private accounting you work for one company and learn and work for that company only. They prepare all the financial information and budgets for that company. Accountants can also receive the Certificate in Management Accounting; all though it is not required it is respected and gives you high credentials. There is the Certified Internal Auditor which includes a 14 hour exam. Also you can go into government and non-for-profit accounting; government accountants monitor the appropriation of funds and awarding of contracts to private agencies that must follow governmental regulations.

Accounting can include a regular day at the office or it can be traveling to different companies to audit or even seven day weeks. Duties of an accountant can include, analyzing company budget, expenses and revenue, overseeing bookkeeping and payroll, figuring company benefits, auditing, managing bank accounts and investments, preparing profit and loss statements, compiling and analyzing financial information, explaining billing invoices and accounting policies, and supervising the input and handling of financial data and reports. Since accounting information is very time sensitive it needs to be processed in a timely fashion. Accountants may work by themselves or in groups. Accounting is constantly changing due to technology, recently accounting was all computerized and now is easier to understand and report.

Accounting and Finance professionals are taking a more prominent role in driving the direction of business practices of the companies and facilities they work for. They are increasingly being viewed as business partners. They are needed to analyze the conversions of their company’s technologies, establish practices that will increase cost efficiency and point managers in the direction of making decisions that will enhance profits and reduce losses.

The CPA title is the biggest credential for accounting professionals, having a CPA accreditation is a common prerequisite for positions. Companies are looking for professionals with experience and are familiar with general accounting principles like general ledger, account reconciliation, financial statement preparation and financial analysis. Also having knowledge about new technologies and knowing how to work new programs is the key to getting hired.. Managers are looking everywhere for qualified individuals for the right job. These managers are also trying to find the perfect match for their company and are investing a lot into the hiring process.

Accounting trends have recently changed dramatically with the computerization of accounting techniques. Accountants now need to be able to work with and understand new computer programs and new ways of doing their work within the practices. Firms need accounting professionals who can understand both the financial and information technology aspects of different business improvement initiatives. The new changes have brought more attention to staffing and experience shortages making companies step up their hiring efforts and recruiting the best of the best. More colleges are starting to react to this need for professionals in certain fields like accounting, and are opening more classes to accommodate these students. The market needs are driving the courses on college campuses all over the nation.

The growth in this field is increasing at a huge rate and becoming more and more competitive. Even though the economy is suffering right now there are still positions open for new accountants.

NRIs often hear stories about investors hitting jackpot by buying and selling properties back home. Very often, they also hear about someone who has lost money in a project that never materialized or in which issues crept up, rendering the property impossible to sell.

Eager to bag a slice of the pie, the NRI begins researching how to invest in the Indian market from abroad and which city, to begin with, only to get lost in contradictory sources.

It is a fact that the Indian economy is expanding rapidly; in fact, the World Bank projects that India will surpass China as the world’s fastest growing large economy by 2017. For those looking to become real estate investors who wish to participate in India’s growth, choosing which part of the country to buy-in can be a challenge. After all, the economy may be making great strides at the national level, but what forces at work at the local level? Put another way, which city or cities can promise the greatest returns?

We have compiled a list of the best cities for real estate investment. Some of these are large metros, known to be the hubs of many industries. Others are smaller, upcoming cities which show a lot of promise in their growth rates in population and per capita income amongst other factors. Read on to identify which city may be the best for you to invest in real estate.

1. Bangalore

Thanks to its combination of rapidly growing population, well-paying jobs, and low real estate prices, the hub of India’s IT industry has become the hub of its property investment as well. JLL recently published its annual ranking of the world’s most dynamic cities, in their City Momentum Index, affirming that Bangalore is the fastest-changing city on the planet.

By some estimates, 40 percent of India’s IT industry is based in this one metropolis. These changes have made it the most attractive place in India for real estate investment. A recent survey pegged Bangalore as the top real estate opportunity across Asia-Pacific.

All of this makes Bangalore the most desirable place for real estate investment in India.

2. Pune

Pune has displayed rapid population growth over the past decade with a growth rate over 30% during this period. The average white collar salary in this city is second only to Bangalore. Currently, property in this city is affordable as compared to other cities, which shows that it’s a good time to invest.

The city also benefits from being close to Mumbai. It also holds opportunities in the education, IT, automobile, and engineering sectors. This is yet another example of a formerly slow city that has experienced rapid recent growth and change.

The good weather all year round is an added benefit for NRI investors here. A new international airport and increased metro connectivity will bring even more growth and positive change to the city in coming years.

3. Chennai

Head over to the capital of Tamil Nadu for yet more real estate investment opportunities. Chennai is also in the leading pack, with a high growth rate in population (30%) and reasonably high average white collared salaries. This industrial city also has many companies that do IT and financial services.

The government has made road connectivity a priority here in recent years. This has helped the city and the surrounding area develop faster and attract new business opportunities.

A coming monorail and elevated railway line are sure to further help with this connectivity.

4. Visakhapatnam

As far as population and area, Visakhapatnam (Vizag) is one of the biggest harbors in India. Because of this, it is considered the commercial hub of Andhra Pradesh.

A quickly growing IT industry coupled with good infrastructure makes this city a desirable place for real estate investments.

With the first phase of the Vizag Metro Rail slated to be completed in December 2018, transportation options will also soon open up in this city.

5. Mumbai

As a growing city with modern urban development, Mumbai is a good real estate investment choice for a non-resident Indian who cares about lifestyle.

Considered the financial capital of India, this city is hard to beat when you compare the level of infrastructure with other cities. Target a premium property in an upscale neighborhood for the best return on your investment. There are several luxury hotspots in Mumbai that place you near high-end retail stores and restaurants.

As India’s financial hub, Mumbai also attracts many investors and corporate firms, providing plenty of work opportunities. If you want an internationally competitive work culture, this is the city.

Mumbai has great education facilities, including international schools. Political stability and easy resale options are added incentives to make Mumbai your investment realty location.

6. Bhiwadi

As the third-largest industrial hub in India, Bhiwadi is a manufacturing hub for some major firms. Companies like Gillette and Honda ensure plenty of local work opportunities.

Real estate projects are also cheaper here than in other cities. The affordability right now makes this a great investment realty choice for the long term.

The Indian government has proposed projects in Bhiwadi including new high-speed public transportation. This will make this city even more desirable in the years to come.

7. Kochi

Kochi, the commercial hub of Kerala, has seen new real estate prospects thanks to recent changes.

An upgrade of the sea port and privatization of the local international airport brought in new business prospects.

Many NRIs are already investing in Kochi. In fact, only some 30% of investors in real estate in Kochi are locals.

Part of what makes this city so appealing is its recent developments in infrastructure. New planned developments include the Vallarpadam International Container Trans-shipment Terminal, which will expand investment opportunities for this port city.

An “oceanarium,” or marine research facility that also doubles as a tourist attraction, is another proposed project that’s sure to attract even more opportunities to the area.

8. Bhubaneswar and Cuttack

These twin cities in east India are growing education and IT hubs. This boosts real estate development in the area.

The real estate market is well-regulated here since most of the available land is still owned by the government.

Plans for new commercial projects, a wider highway, and the new Kalinga Nagar Industrial Complex add to the reasons to target Bhubaneswar and Cuttack for real estate investment.

9. Coimbatore

The second largest city in Tamil Nadu boasts a stable industry that revolves around textiles and spinning.

Engineering, IT, and manufacturing have added to the industry in Coimbatore in recent years, providing economic growth and increased work opportunities.

A planned airport expansion will increase the ease with which travelers and business opportunities can flow into the city. And a proposed bus rapid transit system provides added options for transport on the ground.

Conclusion

There is a long list of cities in India that are great opportunities for real estate investments.

You may choose an established, major hub like Bangalore, or a newer and growing location like Kochi. It all depends on exactly what your future plans are for your investment.

With so many cities undergoing rapid developments and offering new opportunities, it’s hard to go wrong if you consider the key factors to select cities of choice for real estate investments.

Don’t be intimidated by the process of investing in real estate. Instead, reap the benefits the coming years will have for real estate investments in India and ride India’s economic growth wave.

Have you invested in any of these cities? Share your experience with us in the comments section below!