Persona:

The word persona originated in and was borrowed from theater. It could have been
the Greek "prosopon" for mask, which was derived from the Etruscan phersu that
may be connected to Persephone that created the foundations for this word. One
etymologist notes: "An interesting etymology of persona is from 'per' and 'sonare' (=
to sound through) referring to the theatrical wooden mask in which the mouth was
made to strengthen the sound of the voice." The Romans used persona to describe a
mask worn by an actor. The plural is usually personae and some derivatives are:
character, personal, personality, and personify.

Persona is the representation of our being. It represents what each of us think we are
toward others and not what we really are. It does not blend with our individuality. It
concerns only our communication with the exterior world. It is a 'false self'. All
human beings have a persona, which is what we wish to present to others. Some
people, however, blend their persona with their reality. That stops them from
evolving, progressing and growing. They project themselves into a 'role'; they desire
to be accepted and recognized as what they would like to be and not as what they
truly are - they think their true self is not good enough. In the long term, the
individual loses the concept of his or her reality and identifies with his or her
persona; their greatest concern then is to avoid being unmasked. Most of the people
who are in entertainment industry or are in glamour world have this problem.

Personality:

Personality is an individual's habitual patterns of behavior and response, internal or

external, in adapting himself to the environment of which he is a part. "It is a
functional identity, a pattern of physical and mental process, a continuum of
activity." (Langer)

The term personality is used among some psychologists almost in its literal sense -
i.e., to indicate a mask, persona, as was worn by actors on the stage in ancient Rome.
In this sense, the personality, like the mask, feigns individuality, and tries to make
others and one believe that one is individual. Fundamentally the persona is nothing
real: it is compromise between individual and society as to what a man should appear
to be. He takes a name, earns a title, represents an office, and is this or that. (Jung)

There are others, however, who believe there is little difference between the person
and the personality, that the personality is the person. (Menninger)

Personality can be used as a universal term that encompasses all the psychological,
intellectual, emotional, and physical characteristics of an individual, especially as
they are presented to other people. We say that someone has a "big personality" or
"no personality", or a "sports personality". Personality is reflected in our behavior.
When we act out of character we often say "It just wasn't like me.", "I wasn't myself".
This reflects a key point about your personality - it's a relatively stable and
permanent aspect of you as a person. You may have mood swings, be up or down
according to specific circumstances. But, your basic personality underlies these
changes.

Personality Profiles:
It is generally recognized that personality can be described by reference to 5 key
dimensions or global factors. Most of us lie somewhere between the two extremes for
each global factor listed below.

 Extrovert (Extroversion v Introversion)

Extroverts are outgoing, warm individuals who enjoy company. They are lively,
fun-loving and are often quite open about themselves. They are group-oriented
people who naturally join in with others. An introvert is someone who is self-
sufficient and prefers his or her own company. Introverts are generally careful,
serious and self-reliant.
 Anxiety (Anxious v Confident)
Anxious people worry a lot and are often tense. They are also impatient people
with a lot of nervous energy. They can also be very shrewd and hard to fool. On
the other hand, the confident person is calm in the face of adversity, meets
challenges easily, and exudes self-assurance. A high degree of stability is also
accompanied by a resilient, even placid manner, which can sometimes be too
trusting and relaxed.
 Tough-mindedness (Objective v Subjective)
Tough-minded people are unsentimental and look at things objectively. The
opposite is the tender-minded person who is more subjective and willing to
experiment.
 Independence (Assertive v Co-operative)
Independence is characterized by a dominant, forceful person who is competitive.
This means they can also be rather insensitive to other people. Co-operative
people are agreeable, preferring to avoid conflict. They are often described as shy.
 Control (Conscientious v Flexible)
The conscientious person is self-controlled and dutiful. They are likely to be tidy,
organized and have a common sense, practical approach to problem solving. They
are also persevering, some might say stubborn. Their friends and work colleagues
may describe them as a perfectionist. At the opposite end, the flexible personality
can tolerate untidiness, may ignore protocol and follows an expedient, often
imaginative approach to solving problems.

Very few people will exhibit the extremes described above. Most of us have a
balance between these aspects and would be positioned somewhere in between
the two opposing poles.

Employable Vs Qualified:

Employability is taken as the skills, understandings and personal attributes that

make one more likely to not only to gain employment but also be successful in ones
chosen occupation. Employability benefits the individual, the employer, the
workforce, the community and the economy.

To date almost all emphasis has been on the subject discipline. But the recruiters see
qualification in a different way. Rarely is the academic achievement the only, or even
the most important, attribute of a candidate or an employee. In many circumstances
the qualification is necessary, but not sufficient reason for someone to be recruited.
The qualification is regarded as the minimum requirement. It is often regarded as a
box ticking exercise that gets the applicant 'in the door' of the interview. It is being
increasingly recognized that what really sells the candidate to the employer are the,
so-called, 'soft skills'. According to studies employers tend to value generic skills
more highly than disciplinary based understanding and skills. Employability is
designed to assist the individual to function in a job, not just in the acquisition of a
job - 'To be employed is to be at risk. To be employable is to be secure.'

Raising the question of 'what is employability' reflects the beginning of the debate
about 'quality' in higher education at the start of the 1990s. There was much debate
about 'what do we mean by quality?'. 'Can we define it?'. Or 'do we just know it when
we see it?'. It was, for example, a long time before quality and standards were
disentangled. Much time was also spent trying to adapt industrial models to higher
education; debating whether ISO9000 was part of, or separate from, TQM.

'Employability' is likely to go through the same processes. Employers' views will be

wholeheartedly embraced by disciples, as TQM was in some quarters of higher
education. Mostly, employers and academics will 'talk past each other' and there will
be endless debates about appropriate language. Employability processes will be
confused with outcomes. Employability-linked learning will be subject to crude
measures of outcome, viz. first-destination returns. The following is a working
'definition' of employability.

Employability of a graduate is the propensity of the graduate to exhibit attributes

that employers anticipate will be necessary for the future effective functioning of
their organisation.

The implication is that:

 employability relates to individuals seeking work.

 employers have an idea of what are necessary attributes.
 desirability is linked to future requirements.
 employers have mechanisms for determining that graduates exhibit appropriate
attributes.

This definition does not specify that graduates need to exhibit 'graduate' attributes
nor that they are recruited into 'graduate jobs'. This is because:

(a) graduates enter employment at a variety of levels.

(b) what constitutes a graduate job is no longer clearly specified.

Indeed, the Association of Graduate Recruiters now defines a graduate job as any job
that a graduate does. This is not a fatuous response to a changing situation but one
that reflects the diversity of graduate employment.
There is plenty of evidence that graduates, in fact, take on jobs that may not
necessarily have been seen as graduate jobs and grow them. That is, the 'mundane'
job taken by the graduate evolves to become far more important and more far
reaching and have a greater impact on the functioning of the organization than was
anticipated.

What does the corporate wants?

Over the last twenty years there has been considerable research on the necessary or
desirable attributes of graduates. There are many lists of attributes and a good degree
of convergence. The context in which assertions are made about graduate attributes
is the rapidly changing organization.

Most organizations are characterized by a presumption that change is here to stay

and have been affected by significant reorganization of one sort or another:
downsizing, de-layering and flexible contractual arrangements. This means that, for
graduates, there is an unclear graduate promotion ladder, far more project-oriented
team working, a consequent need to be able to interact with a wide range of
personnel and a less clear chain of responsibility. On top of that graduates face a
wide range of work requirements and greater workload, longer working hours and
more responsibility than in the past. In short, graduates need to be flexible and
adaptable.

Organizations are thus looking much further than degree subject and classification
when recruiting. Employers and their representatives consistently say that, to
succeed at work, most people in future must develop a range of personal and
intellectual attributes beyond those traditionally made explicit in programmes of
study in higher education institutions.

At root, employers want interactive and personal attributes. The core interactive
attributes are communication, teamwork and interpersonal skills. These are
necessary to communicate, formally and informally, with a wide range of people both
internal and external to the organization; to relate to, and feel comfortable with,
people at all levels in the organization as well as a range of external stakeholders, to
be able to make and maintain relationships as circumstances change; work
effectively in teams, often more than one team at once, and to be able to re-adjust
roles from one project situation to another in an ever-shifting work situation.

Personal attributes are attitudes and abilities including intellect, knowledge (in some
cases) willingness and ability to learn and continue learning, ability to find things
out, willingness to take risks and show initiative, flexibility and adaptability to
respond, pre-empt and ultimately lead change; and 'self-skill' such as self-
motivation, self-confidence, self-management and self-promotion. These personal
attributes are important to allow graduates to fit into the work culture, do the job,
develop ideas, take initiative and responsibility and ultimately help organisations
deal with change. On one level the set of specified skills has not changed greatly for a
quarter of a century: communication skills, numeracy, self-confidence and self-
discipline, problem-solving, analysis and interpersonal skills featured alongside
knowledge and intelligence. Technological and organisational changes over 25 years
have added team-working, flexibility, adaptability. Furthermore, 'problem solving'
has become 'creative problem-solving' and risk-taking has become a key attribute.
On the other hand, there is much less emphasis on knowledge and far more on
willingness to continue learning.

To sum up, these days corporate wants:

Effective Communication:
According to employers, the ability to communicate effectively with others and get
along with a variety of different types of personalities is two of the most desirable
qualities in job candidates. Employers want to know if you have the ability to
organize your thoughts and ideas effectively. Can you express them clearly when
speaking or writing? Can you present your ideas to others persuasively? Can you
bring out the best efforts of individuals so they become effective, enthusiastic
members of a team? Are you able to successfully contend with stressful situations
and handle conflict?

Passion:
It's not enough just to have the right qualifications; an employer needs to know that
you are willing to give 100 percent to your job. Interviewers are impressed by
candidates who are alert, responsive and energetic. Do you demonstrate a
forcefulness and capacity to make things move ahead? Can you maintain your work
effort at an above average rate?

Learn Unlearn and Relearn:

Employers need to know that the people they hire can expand and change as their
companies do. Applicants who are receptive to new ideas and concepts are highly
valued by employers. Are you capable of changing and being receptive to new
situations and ideas? Can you confront and deal with problems that may not have
standard solutions?

High Personal Energy Levels:

A job candidate's willingness to work hard matters a great deal. Employers want to
know that you are committed to devoting the prime hours of your day to the job. Do
you have the capacity to compete with others and the willingness to be measured by
your performance in relation to others?

Maturity:
This is an elusive quality that employers always mention in connection with first job
hires. Maturity essentially means knowing how to handle self in a business situation.
Misplaced humorous remarks, giggling at inappropriate moments or being indiscreet
about company information are tell-tale signs of immaturity. Do you demonstrate a
sense of maturity that enables you to deal positively and effectively with situations
and people? Can you realistically assess your own capabilities? Do you see yourself as
others see you and clearly recognize your strengths and weaknesses?

Skills:
Do you posses the positive combination of education and skills required for the
position you are seeking? Do you have the ability to identify and work toward specific
goals? Do such goals challenge your abilities?

 Problem-solving skills rather than memorization of coursework. For

achieving results in the future management and leadership environments, person
must have clear critical thinking skills.
 An understanding of the people aspects of the work situation.
Examples include team- based assignments, group projects, and associated team
evaluations.
 Well-developed logic and reasoning skills. Other related competencies
included good judgment and decision-making skills; technical expertise;
exposure to high-tech, state-of-the-art equipment; independent goal setting; and
time management skills.
 A broad knowledge beyond their field. Employers want employees to have
a broad perspective and broaden their knowledge base. Also, many employers
advised becoming conversant in a second language
Personality Development: A must for Career growth as well as personal growth.
How to Start? - Understanding SELF

The first step towards developing your personality is, knowing 'self'. No person is the
same as another in this world. Each person is unique in his own sense. So you are
unique and also amazing. Wonder why?

Are you aware that you have over 12 billion brain cells which could look like stars
under a microscope? Your brain is the finest precision machine in existence and is far
more powerful than the most sophisticated computer ever made. Yet we use just one-
tenth of our brain power. Are you also aware that your metabolic system works with
such clockwork precision that even the most advanced factory system cannot
compare with it? You will marvel at the design of the human body. In spite of this
greatness, many suffer from a poor self- image and an inferiority complex that
hampers their personal growth and prevents them from putting best efforts in their
spheres of activity. God has made each of us a masterpiece of his creation in spite of
all our imperfections. While in this age we talk about state-of - art technology, God
thought of it when he created each of us. So we have every reason to feel great and to
achieve great things for ourselves and for others around.

Our self-image is the complex impression we have about our physical appearance,
social rules, personal history and personality traits; and it matters a lot. The image
we have of ourselves is an important factor in the development of our skills and our
personality, in the maintenance of our emotional health and in the sheer enjoyment
of life!

Those with a negative self-image tend to:

 Lack self-confidence.
 Feel insecure, skeptical and fearful.
 Accept being ignored, hurt and rebuffed.
 Have no pride in their achievements.
 Feel embarrassed by compliments.

Those with a positive self-image tend to:

 Accept themselves the way they are.

 Accept others as they are.
 Feel secure and confident.
 Have reasonable pride in themselves and their achievements.
 Accept compliments gracefully.

Want to know yourself: SWOT Analysis

Yin and yang, Sweet and sour, Night and day, Strength and weakness- Opposites are
a fact of life. If you know how to take stock of the oppositions within and without
your effort , you are more likely to plan and act effectively. That's where the SWOT
analysis comes in. The name says it: Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat. A
SWOT analysis guides you to identify the positives and negatives inside your self (S-
W) and outside of it, in the external environment (O-T). Developing a full awareness
of your situation can help with both strategic planning and decision-making.
The SWOT method (which is sometimes called TOWS) was originally developed for
business and industry, but it is equally useful in the work of community health and
development, education, and even personal growth. SWOT is not the only
assessment technique you can use, but is one with a long track record of
effectiveness.

A SWOT analysis focuses on the four elements of the acronym, but the graphic
format you use varies depending on the depth and complexity of your effort.
.Remember that the purpose of performing a SWOT is to, reveal positive forces that
work together and, potential problems that need to be addressed or at least
recognized. A realistic recognition of the weaknesses and threats that exist for your
effort is the first step to countering them with a robust and creative set of strengths
and opportunities. A SWOT analysis identifies your strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats to assist you in making strategic plans and decisions.

SWOT is a simple yet comprehensive way of assessing the positive and negative
forces within and without your organization, so you can be better prepared to act
effectively. The more stakeholders you involve in preparing the SWOT, the more
valuable your analysis will be. Whatever courses of action you decide on, the four-
cornered SWOT analysis prompts you to move in a balanced way throughout your
program. It reminds you to:

 build on your strengths

 minimize your weaknesses
 seize opportunities
 counteract threats

A SWOT analysis will be most helpful if you use it to support the vision, mission, and
objectives you have already defined. The SWOT will at least provide perspective, and
at best will reveal connections and areas for action. Believe in yourself .Remember
that your unique thumb impression makes you a person uniquely gifted by God with
your special talents. So don't compare yourself to others. Know your strengths and
build on them; also know your weaknesses and correct them. The only person you
can change is yourself. If you don't like the way you are, it's time to change. Accept
other people as they are because you cannot change them but you can influence them
to change only if you change yourself. A lot of people can tell you what to do and
what not to do, but nobody can really advise you correctly. Set your own high
personal moral standards and live up to them and you will eventually be respected.

Career Life Planning: The Path of becoming employable:

There is no single way to proceed with a career, but it can help tremendously to do
some planning. In order to make a plan, you first must identify what you want to
achieve and break it down into manageable tasks. Thus, having the big picture in
mind, you can begin working on more immediate steps. Through this process, each
person can individualize their direction and make a plan based upon their own needs
and values. The following is an outline of the process of setting up specific goals and
making a plan to reach them. Writing it down strengthens the process and greatly
increases the chances of obtaining your goals. It formalizes your intentions, it helps
you assess the goals you have chosen, and it clarifies your thinking. It is said that
there is one universal rule of planning: You will never be greater than the vision that
guides you. No Olympic athlete ever got to the Olympics by mistake; the drive and
desire for that stellar performance guides one to it.

When he was just a struggling, out-of-work actor, Jim Carey wrote himself a check
for ten million dollars. That was his vision, to be paid that much for his creative
work. Years later, he was the first actor to be paid ten million dollars for acting in a
single motion picture. Writing down our goals or creating a profound symbol, such as
Carey did with that check, helps us to subliminally rephrase the choices we make and
supersedes beliefs that are self-limiting.

There is a lot of power in writing it down, make it part of your process

Step 1: Begin with a personal MISSION statement

Stephen Covey in his book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," defines a
personal MISSION statement as follows: "It focuses on what you want to be
(character) and to do (contributions and achievements) and on the values or
principles upon which being and doing are based." It is a statement of purpose
concerning all aspects of your life and a guiding image of success.

Writing a mission statement can take some time and certainly requires careful
thought. The process is important because it "forces you to think through your
priorities deeply, carefully, and to align your behavior with your beliefs. As you do,
other people begin to sense that you're not being driven by everything that happens
to you. You have a sense of mission about what you're trying to do and you are
excited about it."

Step 2: Establish long-term and short-term GOALS

GOALS are those things you wish to accomplish. They need to be generated from an
understanding of your mission in life so that they will reflect your deepest values, and
your unique talents. A goal identifies where you want to be, and, in the process, helps
you determine where you are. They grow out of your chosen roles in life, both
professional and personal. There is no reason to postpone the personal for the
professional, both goals must work together. Some goals may take years to realize,
others will be accomplished this year.

Michael J. Gelb in "How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci" has some good guidelines
to establishing goals. He applies the SMART acronym to goals.

S - Specific: Define exactly what you want to accomplish.

M - Measurable: Decide how you will measure your progress and most important,
how you will know that you have achieved your goal.
A - Accountability: Make a full commitment to be personally responsible for
achieving your goal.
R - Realistic and relevant: Set goals that are ambitious but achievable. Check that
your goals are relevant to your overall sense of purpose and values (your mission).
T - Time Line: Create a clear time line for the achievement of your goals.

Step 3: Develop an ACTION PLAN of intermediate steps that need to be

accomplished on the way to your goal.
Once you know what you want to accomplish, how to get there? Beginning with the
end in mind, an ACTION PLAN establishes a time-line of activities that need to be
accomplished on the way to achieving your goal. It is a guide that helps focus you on
the tasks at hand. It can help you schedule your time each week; it will help you to
complete onerous tasks, such as labeling you slides, researching opportunities,
because they are put into a larger perspective of a goal to be accomplished.

To sum up:
It's all in the head. You belief makes you what you want to be. So, to be something
you need to have self belief that you surely have all to be the one.

Think big depending upon your personal strengths and weaknesses. If you are strong
in certain areas, keep it up; if you are weak in certain other areas, get out of the rut by
reducing your weaknesses. It is only when you think and aim at something big that
you will begin to act and prepare in a manner that will bring you success. Make a
small beginning. They say - the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.

Setting goals is like aiming at a target. It helps you plan activities that will tale you
along the proper road to your destination. Planning is like a bridge that takes you
from where you are to where you want to be. If you don't plan where you are to reach,
then any road will take you somewhere. Once you have set your goals, start early;
otherwise you get caught up in the traffic jam of other activities.

Don't be afraid of mistakes: There is nobody in this world who can honestly and
confidently say that he never makes mistakes. Nobody makes mistakes for fun. All
great discoveries and inventions have been made through trial and error. Mistakes
enable us to learn to do things better.

Have a positive attitude. Whenever we attempt anything there is a tendency to be

alert about the consequences of failure. Why not be alert to the consequences of
success also? After all we do get so obsessed with the consequences that we
constantly have starting trouble. There is always an element of risk in whatever we
do. A tortoise can never move forward and progress without sticking its neck out of
the shell.

Perseverance is the key. Whenever we don't achieve what we have aimed at, there is a
tendency to give up. It is only in very exceptional cases that one reaches the top in the
first attempt. When you persevere, never give up; look at failure as lack of success or
a temporary setback rather than as a defeat. With this attitude, you will motivate
yourself to continue with your attempts in whatever you do until you reach your goal.

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