Afia Ahmad's blog

Facebook is hiring for Agency Consultant. 

Kindly go through JD below and in case you are interested in applying, please mail your updated profile to placements@manipalprolearn.com. 

Position: Agency Consultant, Facebook (Candidate will be working under Manipal Global’s Contract)

Location: Mumbai                                                             

No. of Openings: Two

Brief Job Description: 

Written By

Krishnaswami Mohan

Manipal Prolearn - IT Academy in association with NASSCOM conducted an interactive product management event on "Tipping Point Technologies: Revolutionizing Your Product’s Future” in Chennai, on October 12,2017. 

This event is second in the series of Manipal-NASSCOM product management Thought Leadership initiative, with the first session was conducted on 31st August 2017 in NASSCOM 10K Warehouse, Bangalore. 

Written By

Afia Ahmad

The changing landscape in the business world has been making way for a new and dynamic workforce. Both businesses and professionals would agree that the flurry of lay-offs and skill redundancy has been a growing concern. 

The wake-up call for a change has caught a lot of us off-guard and is making us re-think the importance of imbibing new capabilities. On that note, we would like to announce a great news for you, irrespective of which side of the ecosystem you are on!

Manipal ProLearn Integrates Extended Capabilities!

Manipal Global Education Services, as a leading education provider in the country and abroad has revamped and integrated Manipal ProLearn, India’s leading professional certification course provider. Manipal ProLearn will continue helping companies and individuals achieve their skill enhancement goals. The integration that took effect on October 31, 2017 will offer:

- a wider range of domain expertise. 

- an enhanced use of technology to deliver learning across platforms (F2F, online and blended).

- best-in-class short-term programs delivered through webinars and online content.

- corporate training programs delivered face-to-face, at our campus or elsewhere (as required).

- long-term employability enhancement programs at colleges.

Next-Gen Learning Capabilities to Create Alpha-Professionals

Manipal has brought together its across-the-horizon domain expertise to provide an exhaustive list of course offering. It comprises of simple online courses such as MS-Excel to blended delivery programs like Software Architecture and campus-based F2F diploma programs such as Data Science. This multi-dimensional suite of programs will help working professionals and students who are looking forward to learning new skills and imbibing new capabilities for a fruitful professional career. 

From immersive bootcamps for fresh IT grads to specialised and snackable courses for corporate leaders, Manipal ProLearn will have something for everyone on and around the corporate ladder. 

With more than 100 professionally certified courses and 500+ classroom batches, Manipal ProLearn has trained over 50,000 professionals in the last two years. The number is only expected to skyrocket in the coming years with an increased focus on the workforce on staying relevant and updated with the industry.  

So, how will it benefit professionals, students and alumni?

This integration has been made by keeping in mind the greater benefits that can be passed on to the growing number of professionals, students and alumni. Here’s a quick look at some of these key benefits:

- More programs in many new fields, relevant to your learning needs 

- Superior technology to help you learn at your convenience and pace  

- Access to our corporate tie-ups to help you get better jobs 

- Networking opportunities with a wider pool of alumni network, in diverse fields and experience levels.

You can now experience the power of learning with Manipal ProLearn offering you the best-in-class courses, carefully curated by industry experts and benchmarked against global certification standards such as PMI, CIMA, PMBOK etc. to help you emerge as a dynamic professional. 

Manipal ProLearn partners with industry leaders like Google, Sandbox, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and PEOPLECERT to provide quality courses that add to your skill set.

Did you have a look at our revamped Facebook and LinkedIn pages yet? Do not forget to like, share and connect with us and help us create a broader and better learning ecosystem. 

Written By

Afia Ahmad

ThermoFisher is hiring for Business Analyst for their Bangalore Office. Kindly go through JD below and in case you are interested in applying, please mail your updated profile to placements@manipalprolearn.com

JOB DESCRIPTION (JD):

JOB LOCATION:         Bangalore

ROLE:                           Business Analyst

NO. OF OPENINGS:   02

LAST DATE TO APPLY: 1st Nov ‘17

EDUCATION AND SKILLS:

• 0-2 years of experience
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent experience required
• Excellent analytical skills, problem solving abilities, and the ability to quickly learn new areas
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. Able to communicate ideas in both technical and user-friendly language
• Strong data analysis skills required. Hands on experience with managing data using Excel; data analysis, standardization, clean up, consolidation and audit.
• IT experience in support of human resource processes such as employee data management, organizational structure management and compensation would be an advantage
• Knowledge of systems development cycles and methodologies
• Knowledge of HCM system integration points with payroll, benefits, ATS and other third party applications
• Team-oriented individual who demonstrates initiative and leadership skills; able to work independently
• Dedication to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers
• Highly self-motivated and directed. Ability to multi task
• Logical and efficient; keen attention to detail; high energy/sense of urgency
• Ability to conduct research into systems issues and products as required
• Knowledge of Workday’s HCM application and its modules is preferred, but candidates with equivalent HCM system knowledge and experience will be considered

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Daily triaging of tickets coming through Service Now application for HCM, LMS and ATS systems
• Troubleshoot issues with HR business processes, data validation, and integrations.
• Resolve tickets according to priority and before pre-determined Service Level Agreement.
• Develop understanding of HR functions of personnel administration, organization management, compensation management, and interfaces (inbound/ outbound)
• Provide feedback to support team on new issues and process improvement
• Contribute to HR support team knowledge base
• Support mass upload and working with business team members to execute those loads.
• Support and configure HR systems to meet the business requirements
• Develop test procedures, test scenarios, and test cases; execute test scripts; and document and communicate the results
• Interact and communicate with business partners to ensure the successful delivery and implementation of solution and modifications into production
• Assess impact of change requests and provide work estimates

ABOUT ThermoFisher:

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of $20 billion and more than 65,000 employees in 50 countries. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We help our customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics and increase laboratory productivity. Through our premier brands – Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services – we offer an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and comprehensive support.

Written By

Krishnaswami Mohan

AU Small Finance Bank is hiring for Sales Officer & Team Leader -MSME & Wheels for their Jaipur, Jodhpur & Kota office. Kindly go through JD below and in case you are interested in applying, please mail your updated profile to placements@manipalprolearn.com 

JOB DESCRIPTION (JD):

JOB LOCATION:         Jaipur (Malviya Nagar), Jodhpur & Kota.

ROLE:                         Sales Officer & Team Leader -MSME & Wheels

NO. OF OPENINGS:   78

EXPERIENCE :            Fresher’s, 1-3+ Years

QUALIFICATION:       Graduate with Sales Experience

DESIRED CANDIDATE:

• Only male candidates eligible, should be willing to join immediately. 
• Should have a 2 wheeler and a valid driving licence.
• Candidates from auto loan / commercial vehicle industry are preferred. 
• Candidate should be open to move in the market and sell banking products.
• For Executive level, 0-3 years of Sales experience
• Deserving Candidate from other industry may be considered

ABOUT AU Small Finance Bank:

We are redefining what a bank should be. We enable a convenient banking experience. We uncomplicated banking for you. The dream started two decades ago by Mr. Sanjay Agarwal, a merit holder Chartered Accountant and a first generation entrepreneur, along with his proficient team. Together, the dexterous team embarked on a journey of excellence while enriching lives along the way. What started off as a dream to be one of the fastest growing NBFCs, AU Financiers is now AU SMALL FINANCE BANK.

Throughout our journey we have focused on solutions, completely based on our customers’ needs. This transformation, from being a finance company to a bank, which provides a place for safe keeping, is a reflection of many things that.

Written By

Krishnaswami Mohan

Facebook has been the social media leader for a long time. However, with the advent of Twitter, Instagram, and even Snapchat, marketers are finding improved and effective ways of promoting their products on these channels. This has brought in some changes in the Facebook’s marketing for businesses. 

If you have promoted your business on Facebook before the company changed some of its marketing policies for businesses, you will notice that the organic reach of your business posts has reduced drastically. The social media giant is relying on the ‘Pay to Play’ policy so businesses have to spend some money on their posts now to reach a greater audience. 

In Manipal ProLearn’s latest webinar Rethinking Social Media: Facebook Marketing 2017 And Beyond, Social Media Marketing Guru, Tuhin Ghosh focussed on the changing Facebook advertising space. He also shared tips to adopt this change and not let it act as a marketing hurdle, but use it to the best advantage instead. 

Tuhin stated that while Facebook will not kill organic reach, the modifications in its policies have certainly reduced the organic reach of businesses. While the advertisement space is coming down, the performance of your organic posts depends heavily on factors like:

• Your custom audience and whether the message is targeted to them.
• Type of content – is it educational, newsworthy or entertaining?
• Do you have quality followers?
• Don’t boost your posts as soon as you post them, allow them to gain some organic reach before promoting.

Tuhin advised that it is better to wait around 24-48 hours before promoting FB posts. To understand how and where your posts appear on your target audience’s timeline, you also need to stay updated about the constant changes in FB’s algorithm. You may want to reach 15,000 people and may have received the attention of 1500, but chances are that you may receive a response from only 300 of them. So try to keep your posts relevant to your target audience, because that’s what matters to FB algorithm. 

Also remember that your job does not end with just boosting a post. The biggest form of appreciation on social media is ‘sharing’. So create posts that will prompt your audience to share them ahead, that’s the best form of caring!

Tip: Focus on sharing videos as they have a greater chance of going viral. 

Did you know videos enjoy about 9% of organic reach, while text-based status updates, links, and photos get 5.8%, 5.3% and 3.7% of the share? However, the drawback is that videos are expensive to make and can be time-consuming. That does not take away from the fact that videos can offer you the most rewards, if done right.  

Emerging areas to bank upon

Facebook is simultaneously working on several other products/services like:

• Facebook TV
• Facebook Messenger Bots
• Facebook’s AI Assistant
• Shopping on Facebook
• Facebook and Virtual Reality Gaming 
• Facebook Workplace

So keep an eye on these updates to make the most of them as they are all set to revolutionize the advertising space on FB!

Takeaways 

Visual content is the way ahead. Try to create visually-stimulating posts, they could be pictures, videos or GIFs. Ensure that your post description is crisp and engaging, it is not a blog so keep the length in check! Don’t be hesitant about repurposing your content. Take the liberty to turn your blogs into short videos and see how well they work for you! Engage with your audience through contests, quizzes and surveys. 

Lastly, here are some more strategies to try: 

Invest some time and effort in building your product/service around these strategies and you are sure to hit the bull’s eye! 

Want to know more about social media marketing? Check out Manipal ProLearn’s extensive social media marketing course to plan and implement marketing strategies that work for your brand! 

Written By

Afia Ahmad

The best way for tech professionals to stay at the top of their game is to never stop learning. Technology is constantly evolving and changing the way industries work. If you’ve completed online courses to get a Hadoop certification or Big Data Certification, then the next thing you should look into is Mahout.

What is Mahout? 

The goal of the whole Apache Mahout™ project is to build an environment for quickly creating scalable machine learning on Hadoop. 

If you’ve read about machine learning, then you would know that it aims to enable machines to learn without being explicitly programmed. It is done to improve or enhance future outcomes based on past performances. 

It starts with big data being stored on the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). Mahout then provides the data science tools required to find meaningful patterns in those big data sets. So it won’t be wrong to say that the Apache Mahout project is about turning big data into ready-to-use big information quickly and conveniently. 

Picture Courtesy – Trifork

Features of Mahout 

It has a simple and extendable programming environment that helps to build scalable algorithms.

• It offers plenty of premade algorithms for Scala + Apache Spark, H2O, Apache Flink.
• It has Samsara, which is a vector math experimentation environment with R-like syntax.
• How does Mahout help? 
• If you are looking at Mahout in Data Science then its main uses include:     
• Collaborative filtering – It collects all the data of the users to understand their behaviour and then makes product recommendations based on the collected information (e.g. product recommendations you get after visiting an online shopping store like Flipkart) 

Picture courtesy - Remarkety   

• Clustering – It takes items in a particular class like web pages or newspaper articles, etc. and then organizes them into naturally occurring groups. The aim is to make clusters where the items similar to each other are bundled in the same group.
• Classification – It learns from available existing categorizations and then assigns unclassified items to the most relevant category possible.•Frequent itemset mining – It analyses all the items in a particular group and then identifies which other items typically appear together with these items. For example, it will analyse the items you have placed in your cart and suggest what customers frequently buy with the item in question. For example, if you are buying a phone, you may see suggestions for a tempered glass or a phone cover, which most customers buy along with a phone.

How can it help professionals? 

For one, Mahout can help those who are selling products and services to understand and predict their user’s behaviour based on their interactions on the site. Those who have completed professional courses in Mahout will be able to guess a user’s preference based on his/her interest in similar items. 

Apart from this, it also helps to quickly estimate the similarity between two data sets. It is beneficial in discovering soft clusters where a particular point can belong to more than just one cluster.

Where is Mahout being used?

Companies such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare, Yahoo, and Twitter use Mahout. If you look at Facebook, you’ll see that suggested videos or posts that you might like are determined with the help of Mahout. Foursquare uses the Mahout recommendation engine to help you find places for food and entertainment in particular areas. 

Picture Courtesy - medium

These are just a few examples of how and where Mahout is being used. Have you noticed Mahout being used on major websites? Drop us a comment if you’ve used Mahout or have seen it being used. We would also love to know how it has helped you. If you’re new to it, would you prefer a short-term course or a certification course on Mahout to learn more about it? 

About Manipal ProLearn:

Manipal ProLearn, a part of Manipal Global Education Services, offers a variety of professional certification courses across Technology, Digital Marketing, Data Sciences, Project Management, and Finance domains. We partner with industry leaders such as Google, Sandbox, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and PEOPLECERT to provide quality courses that help working professionals and students enhance their skills and fast-track their careers.

Over the last two years, more than 23,000 learners have advanced their careers with the aid of our courses.

Written By

Afia Ahmad

FUNDERMAX is hiring for Sr. MANAGER FINANCE for their Bangalore office. Interested candidates can mail their updated profile to placements@manipalprolearn.com. 

JOB DESCRIPTION (JD):

JOB LOCATION: Bangalore, India

ROLE: Sr. Manager Finance

NO. OF OPENINGS: 01

EXPERIENCE : 3+ Years

QUALIFICATION: CA with IFRS Certification

ABOUT FUNDERMAX:

FunderMax – “For people who create”

Whether it is a matter of furniture, facades or interior fittings, FunderMax is always to be found at the interface between ideas and materials. We understand architects, processors and the furniture industry – as well as the genuine decision-makers: your customers.

What we do:

We think about the issues, we develop the products and we create them. Our strength lies in well thought out wood-based materials and compact laminates. We see ourselves as a production facility, a service partner and a design laboratory. Only because we are highly competent in all three fields can we make top-class performance a matter of course.

Know more about FUNDERMAX at http://www.fundermax.at

Written By

Krishnaswami Mohan

A rising need for the availability and utilization of information has brought about an industry that was previously non-existent. Yes, we are talking about equity research. Equity research involves the analysis of the entirety of a company’s financials. Furthermore, it involves the performance of ratio analysis, forecasting financials, and exploring various scenarios that lead to a valid recommendation when it comes to stock investments.

What does an equity research analyst do?

An equity research analyst primarily analyses financials while focusing on quantitative and qualitative facets. These professionals study the gross financial history of a company and its economic standing to eventually help investors make an informed decision. This extensively researched information is then consolidated and presented in an equity research report.

Aspects of equity research

• There are various aspects of equity research. Of course, performing financial modelling is a major element of equity research. However, there are a lot of aspects pertaining to analytics of the various financial metrics of the company. Some of them are:
• Discovering the valuation of listed companies 
• Analyzing various economic aspects such as GDP, industry market value, growth rate and competitive aspects
• Understanding the economics that surround and back the business entirely
• Calculation of fair price using discounted cash flows and relative valuations
• Recommendation to buy or sell depending on overvaluation or undervaluation 
• Conducting a financial statement analysis to discover the company’s financial performance in the past
• Analyzing historical balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow
• Usage of equity valuation models

Equity research and financial modeling

In today’s corporate arena, automation is not only pertinent but necessary. Most businesses are presently focusing on eliminating human error slowly through various facets of the industry, right from service to manufacturing. When it comes to critical processes, reducing the human element seems to significantly advance efficiency. 

Remember the time when calculators and ledgers were an indispensable part of finance? Today they are replaced by laptops and spreadsheets. Pursuing a career in finance would involve an extensive know-how of the industry’s workings, recent trends and the usage of automation for daily activities as a finance professional.

The image below portrays the tasks of an equity research analyst, along with the importance of financial modeling:

Source: LinkedIn

What is financial modeling?

Financial modeling involves the methodical formation of a logical structure used to analyze data. This is done for the purpose of arriving at conclusively valid financial decisions and logical conclusions.

Presently, it is possible to perform lengthy calculations in seconds, which was time-consuming previously. The ability to perform such tasks and build such models requires extensive knowledge of different financial finance apart from expertise in Excel. 

Relevance of financial modeling

Financial modeling is imperative in every sphere of the financial world. It is significantly critical to every corporate set up. It represents the financial operations of a corporate entity while enabling ideas through cost-effective estimation. It aids in creating an attractive representation of the economic performance of an organization. Learning Excel can greatly increase your chances of building a career in finance. There are plenty of online courses and professional courses that would help as an extensive MS Excel tutorial.

Who uses financial modeling?

1. Investment banks

When it comes to mergers and acquisitions, financial modeling is an extremely effective tool that helps estimate the viability of a certain deal. In the world of corporate finance, it is used to comprehend the long-term financial well-being of a company.

2. Private equity and venture capital firms

As these firms deal with large amounts of money, financial modeling is utilized to estimate the ROI. Several functions in Excel help identify and determine the return on investment for different amounts. 

3. Equity research firms

An equity research analyst needs to showcase unbiased views of various financial instruments. While the ‘sell’ side analysts are typically hired by investment banks to make recommendations and valid estimations, ‘buy’ side analysts are hired by private equity funds or hedge funds.

In either case, financial modeling is used to determine a company’s economic growth and future. It won’t be wrong to say that advanced Excel training through an Excel tutorial can help secure a career in financial modeling. If you are considering a career in finance or want to hone your Excel skills, check out the certification program in Financial Modelling using Excel offered by Manipal ProLearn.

Written By

Afia Ahmad

Made especially for statistical analysis and graphical computations, R is a software environment that is indispensable to the world of data science today. Created by Robert Gentleman and Ross Ithaca from New Zealand, R is used widely in numerous fields with supporting operating systems such as macOS, Windows, and Linux.

The importance of R lies in its uniqueness when compared to other languages. It makes R significant in the field of data science and statistical analytics. 

Multiple functions/calculations possible through a single vector

Being a vector language, R has the capability of handling many functions at once. This is what makes it stand out from other languages. It is possible to pile on additional functions to a single vector without having to put it in a loop; making R far more efficient compared to other languages.

Ability to run a code without a compiler

Unlike other programming languages like C or Java, with R it is possible to run your code sans compilers. Usually, a compiler has to interpret instructional steps from the code to run it. Whereas with R being an interpreted language, it is possible to interpret the code into a complete program, making the code development a simple task.

There are plenty of online courses, training programs, professional courses and part-time courses that focus on programming languages and R. As it is indispensable to Big Data, R is an extremely relevant and useful programming language to learn today.

Data science support

Whether they are graphs, charts, statistical functions or data interface, R helps with all of these data science functions. It is also supremely efficient when it comes to statistical analysis.

Why is R important to data science professionals?

• Owing to its versatility in the area of statistics, R is indispensable to data science applications. Whether it is a close analysis of data or distributed computing, R is widely efficient.
• Data scientists frequently use R as a data analysis software, for methods such as predictive modeling, visualization and statistical analysis.
• Since a large section of new research concerning statistical analytics is done through R, it not only provides easy implementation of new techniques, but also serves as an ideal environment for statistical analysis.
• Since R is a technology that is open source, it can be easily integrated with other applications. 
• R is equipped with highly efficient tools that deliver supremely effective data visualization. From custom designed graphics to graphs and bar charts, the quality and efficiency of R is unparalleled when it comes to visualization. 
• R is sophisticatedly user-friendly, lending it a devoted user base. Its online support is not only consistent, but prompt and effective too.
• One of the major reasons for the popularity of R is that it has no license restrictions. It can be run from any place at any time. 
• With spectacular graphical capabilities and a fully developed environment for statistical analysis, R as a programming language is versatile, effective, and most of all, extensive.

If you are enthusiastic about creating a ripple in the world of big data analytics, you should consider pursuing big data courses or big data certification programs, which include R programming. Big data training and big data tutorials are also beneficial in giving you an edge in the job market. So why not join a course on Big Data and R through Manipal ProLearn to stay ahead of the curve?

 About Manipal ProLearn:

Manipal ProLearn, a part of Manipal Global Education Services, offers a variety of professional certification courses across Technology, Digital Marketing, Data Sciences, Project Management, and Finance domains. We partner with industry leaders such as Google, Sandbox, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and PEOPLECERT to provide quality courses that help working professionals and students enhance their skills and fast-track their careers.

Over the last two years, more than 23,000 learners have advanced their careers with the aid of our courses.

Written By

Afia Ahmad