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What Is A Company Secretary And How To Become One

What Is A Company Secretary And How To Become One?

May 20, 20222 Minutes Read
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A Company Secretary or CS is a legal expert that works for the company. They are well-versed in corporate and securities law. Hence, they play a crucial role in legal compliance and implementation of decisions.

Their roles involve:

  1. Being familiar with the company's roles and responsibilities

  2. Ensuring the efficient administration of the company

  3. Acting as the chief advisor to the Board of Directors

  4. Suggesting methods to conduct business and develop strategies

  5. Dealing with conflict of interest situations

    In India, Company Secretaries earn an average salary of ₹6.3 Lakhs annually. However, the salary ranges from ₹1.8 Lakhs to ₹ 23.6 Lakhs.

    The ICSI (Institute of Company Secretaries of India) is the regulating body. Currently, there are more than 50,000 members. ICSI train and educate aspiring candidates. Around 4,00,000 CS students are studying to become a CS under ICSI.

    The first step to becoming a certified CS in India is to enrol under ICSI. ICSI accepts only online registrations for the course through its web portal.

    The eligibility criteria are as follows:

  6. Must have passed 12th grade to apply for CS courses.

  7. CA, B.com, and M.com graduates can apply directly to give CS foundation exams without applying for the course.

    There are three levels in the CS programme. Candidates are issued CS certificates and allowed to practice only after passing all of them. Overall, these courses cost between ₹1 Lakhs to ₹4 Lakhs. The fees paid cover classroom training and cost to ICSI.

The three levels in the CS programme offered by the ICSI are:

  1. Foundation Programme (Now replaced with CS Executive Entrance Test or CSEET)(4 Papers)

    All CS aspirants should register for the Foundation Course. Applicants who have cleared 12th grade or its equivalent must register for the Foundation Course of ICSI under its three-year program. The course covers:

  • Fundamentals of Accounting and Auditing

  • Business Economics

  • Business Environment & Entrepreneurship

  • Business Management, Ethics, Laws and Communication

    Students who have completed graduation or CA courses can skip the Foundation course.

  1. Executive Programme (7 Papers)

    Applicants who clear the Foundation Course papers are called for an interview and tested. The ICSI will admit shortlisted candidates to its Executive Programme. The course has two modules. They cover:

    MODULE 1

  • Company Law

  • Tax Laws and Practice

  • Economic and Commercial Laws

  • Cost and Management Accounting

    MODULE 2

  • Capital Markets and Securities Laws

  • Industrial, Labour and General Laws

  • Company Accounts and Auditing Practices

  1. Professional Programme (9 Papers)

    The Professional Programme is the final stage. It is not easy to pass. Only students who have passed the Executive Program can appear for this course. There are three modules. The third module also includes an elective.

    MODULE 1

  • Advanced Company Law and Practice

  • Corporate Restructuring, Valuation and Insolvency

  • Secretarial Audit, Due Diligence and Compliance Management

    MODULE 2

  • Ethics, Governance and Sustainability

  • Information Technology and Systems Audit

  • Financial, Treasury and Forex Management

    MODULE 3

  • Drafting, Appearances and Pleadings

  • Advanced Tax Laws and Practice

  • Electives (You can choose any 1 of the 5 subjects) Insurance Law and Practice Banking Law and Practice Capital, Commodity and Money Market Intellectual Property Rights -- Law and Practice Intellectual Business -- Laws and Practices

  • Insurance Law and Practice

  • Banking Law and Practice

  • Capital, Commodity and Money Market

  • Intellectual Property Rights -- Law and Practice

  • Intellectual Business -- Laws and Practices

    You too can become a company secretary with a bit of hard work! Check if you are a good fit - take thecareer test at Glow & Lovely Careers (formally known as the Fair & Lovely Career Foundation). Give your best when you study and practise with mock tests. Trust yourself. You can do it! Best of Luck!

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Social Entrepreneur Kalpana Viswanath Created a Startup That Seeks to Make Traveling Safer for Women Across India

Safety is a top priority when it comes to women who travel in India. It is important to feel safe whether it is home, workplace, roads, or transport. However, in India, women are not completely safe. Especially, trips for single women are even more dangerous. Every day, we get to hear tormenting tales of sexual assault and violence against women in India. The #MeToo movement in 2018 highlighted a plethora of cases of sexual assault at workplaces and harrowing misuse of power by men. Even today, women's safety is a concern. But thanks to brave minds like Kalpana Viswanath, who stood up to bring in a positive change and work on safe travel tips for women. She is constantly working hard to keep women safe, wherever they are.

Kalpana Viswanath is a researcher and a social entrepreneur who has been working on gender-related issues for women for about 20 years. She is the co-founder of Safetipin, a mobile app built to support the community of women. It leverages technology to gather data to ensure safe travel for women. It was in 2013 when she teamed up with her tech-savvy husband, Ashish Basu to launch the app -- Safetipin. The app allows women to check the safety of a preferred location. The app analysis the location basis various parameters such as transportation facilities, neighborhood, the lighting of the area, the density of the people, deserted spots, frequency, and an average number of women seen on the road to name a few. Any woman can download this app and carry out the safety audit by following the guidelines. It gives women a sense of safety and protection.

Kalpana has also been working to create a positive impact on women's lives. Through all these years, she has been involved in multiple projects such as largescale studies to identify parameters that can make cities more inclusive. She is an active member of the Jagori organization. It offers counseling services to women who have survived various kinds of violence. Being a senior and experienced advisor, she had led the training of over 3000 drivers in Delhi Transport Corporation on how to keep a sharp state of awareness and diligence of women's safety.

She had also been the Project Director of the Gender Inclusive Cities Program with Women in Cities International. It is an international network for women and cities. She drove an action research study on the elements prompting gender inclusion or exclusion in four cities and on designing interventions in partnership with local government conducted by community women to address safety and inclusion concerns. She has additionally offered technical help to the safe city for women programs in Cambodia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Kerala, Mumbai, and Kolkata.

She is also a member of the Advisory Group on Gender Issues at UN-Habitat and Board member of the International Center for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC) and the Chair of the International Advisory Committee of Women in Cities International. She is also on the Advisory Committee of the Second State of Asian Cities brought out by UN-Habitat and UN ESCAP and has published generally and has published broadly in magazines and journals. She has co-altered a book on Building Gender Inclusive Cities.

Now, women across India can make safer and informed travel decisions. This app is a great boon for solo female travelers. Thanks for Kalpana Viswanath!

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Promote Yourself On LinkedIn Effectively

LinkedIn is a very popular online platform. It connects potential employees to companies looking to hire. The networking site has a lot of advantages and can prove to be beneficial career-wise. Almost every working person uses it. Hence, you can connect to leading people in your industry. The site is a very effective tool for marketing oneself.

What does marketing oneself mean? Simply put, it is a way to promote yourself. This is done by highlighting education and achievements and generally showing employers what you can do. This means that people become aware of who you are and the kind of work you do. Marketing yourself also helps people realise whether you are a good fit for their company.

So if you don't have a LinkedIn profile yet, create one today! If you do, here's how you can effectively use it to promote yourself to prospective employers.

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  • First, you need to appear on search lists of employers and hiring agents. The key to using LinkedIn in the best way possible is to ensure you're 'discoverable' to agencies and employers. Updating your location helps recruiters know where you are based. It also allows you to narrow down places of work.
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  • Once a hiring manager or a recruiter checks out your profile, what will they see? Remember, your LinkedIn profile is their first impression of you. HRs don't only check if you are interested in being hired. They look at your profile picture. They check your posts and interactions. They even check posts and images that you are tagged on. This helps give them an idea of the person you are. Ensure that your profile picture is clear and professional. It needs to be appealing to see and not taken in an inappropriate setting or a dimly lit room with a messy background. Not only your profile picture but even your cover photo also needs to be aesthetic. It could be anything, even a simple background.
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  • Update your bio! Keep it short and sweet. Mention what you do and what you are looking for. Think of it as marketing yourself using three sentences.
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  • Ensure your education, accomplishments and work history is up-to-date. Write only important points, so it isn't too cluttered. The HR needs only to see the key points. Too much information can make it looks messy and unorganised.
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  • It is essential that you use all your connections to your advantage. Connect with people from the same industry. Connect with coworkers and friends. It will help you come across as well-connected and with a friendly personality.
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  • Mention your previous jobs. Add the company you worked at and the work you did for them. This also increases your discoverability. Plus, it helps recruiters see what you are experienced at.
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  • You can also share posts about your accomplishments in the company. Show that you value your company by sharing company posts, blogs and articles.
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