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Ramya Vishwanathan thinks joining a public speaking course, as part of a corporate grooming session, has been one of her best moves.

Picking up a few tips on personal grooming always helps while stepping into the corporate world

Ramya Vishwanathan thinks joining a public speaking course, as part of a corporate grooming session, has been one of her best moves. This 21-year-old IT professional at present working in a multimedia company-did the four-day course while in college. When she started working, a number of communication tips she had got during the course came handy.

Such skills are important not only in corporate life but also in developing the overall personality of a candidate. And in today8217;s highly competitive world, where social etiquettes matter a lot, personality development is not restricted to just honing of communication skills. This has given rise to the number of corporate and personal grooming workshops being held in the city. They help students as well as executives in bettering their persona.

Navaz Hilloowala-owner of ACTiIndia, a centre which focuses on social skills-feels such training is a must for freshers as it helps them get a feel of the corporate culture. This corporate trainer, who has been in the industry for 26 years, says, 8220;Students come from various cultural backgrounds. Hence, there will be differences in their social mannerisms. Be it IT, multi-national companies, banks, hospitality and tourism industry or retail industry, the employees are expected to adhere to formal behaviour. They have to be conscious of people around them. We also advise them to wear the attire that suits their working culture.8221;

When it comes to make-up, 8220;Keep it minimum8221; is what experts say. Gauri Niranjan Chitre, a former HR executive and a freelance corporate trainer, has also completed a beauty therapist course from Clara International, Malaysia.

She says, 8220;Having a light make-up enhances the personality of women employees but it should not be overdone. We also give tips on appropriate accessories.8221; When it comes to men, the colour of the belt and shoes should be neutral, matching the trousers. Grooming courses also focus on dining and telephone etiquettes.

Since parties and get-togethers are a common feature in the corporate culture, the Isra School of Grooming and Finesse, Nariman Point, has a special session on salsa as a part of their four-day workshop on personal and corporate grooming. Sneha Shah, HR trainer and founder director of Isra School, says, 8220;Apart from knowing how to dance, one needs to know the dancing etiquettes. We train them how to ask someone for a dance, how to say no politely and the space to be maintained between the dance partners.8221;